


A Path to the Light

by Galaxia_Infinita



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Bisexual Rey (Star Wars), Canon Compliant, Character Death, F/M, Falling In Love, Family Issues, Force Bond, Hux being the bad guy, Knights of Ren - Freeform, Kylo Ren Redemption, Reylo - Freeform, after episode VIII, new characters - Freeform, some sex but in later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2019-10-12 09:26:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 33
Words: 65,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17464874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galaxia_Infinita/pseuds/Galaxia_Infinita
Summary: After the last members of the Resistance manage to escape from the First Order it seems the bond that connects Kylo and Rey is broken. But the Force is capricious and an unexpected death will tie them together once more.Why?That’s what both of them wonder as their meetings in the Force come and go hindering their attempts at taking care of their own problems:Kylo trying to settle his power as Supreme Leader of the First Order; and Rey looking for a way to bring the fire of the Rebellion back to life.The story starts right after the end of Episode VIII: The Last Jedi and will pay special attention to Rey and Kylo’s romance.This work is a translation of "Un camino a la luz".Co-Translator:Ranchel





	1. Enemies

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Un camino a la luz](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13343991) by [Galaxia_Infinita](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galaxia_Infinita/pseuds/Galaxia_Infinita). 



> Hi there!  
> My name’s Anna and I’m a writer from Spain. I’ve been writing fanfics for so long, but always in Spanish. This is my first time translating one of my stories. I would warn that I’m not used to write in English so probably you’ll find a lot of mistakes on the fic. I apologise in advance. Feel free to tell me about them, if you feel like it.  
> I’ve written 25 chapters up till now, and the story keeps going –I think there will be at least 10 more chapters. I plan to translate a chapter per week, if my daily tasks allow it. I’ll try to post them on Mondays.  
> And that’s all I wanted to say. I hope you like the story and thanks for reading!  
> Enjoy!
> 
> ► Update:  
> From now on I have a new co-translator! I hope that makes the reading better for you.  
> I want to thank Ranchel for her help. I hope you'll appreciate her work too!

# 1\. Enemies

 

“Supreme Leader.”

Kylo’s body tensed when he heard that voice behind him. He wiped his cheek surreptitiously, erasing the trail a lonely tear had left behind when crossed it moments ago, and turned around to find his second in command face to face.

“Yes, General Hux?”

“There’s no one left on the base. The rebels managed to escape,” sneered the general.

“Then withdraw the troops and go back to the freighters. We are returning to the Star Destroyer.”

Hux frowned as if not believing what he just heard.

“Excuse me, Sir, but… That is all?”

“What do you mean?”

“That rebel scum has escaped, led by the filthy scavenger that killed our Supreme Leader. And you want us to leave?”

A dense and uncomfortable silence captured them like soured clay.

“Are you questioning my orders, General?”

Hux didn’t answer. Instead, he swallowed hard making a sound of suffocation. His eyes, open wide, were full of fear and he shivered like a leaf. It seemed he had had enough with the terrible blow that Kylo dealt him on the command shuttle, and that his defiant outburst wouldn’t go beyond that pitiful comment.

But then, he took a deep breath and stood up, puffing his chest.

“I’m not questioning them, I’m saying they are wrong.”

Anger crossed Kylo’s body like hot lava. He clenched his fists, fighting the impulse to strangle Hux and leave his death body behind to rot, like the rat he was. He knew he hadn’t the support of the high command of the First Order, and to get rid of Hux would mean too much explanations and some new enemies that he need at the moment.

“And what are you suggesting, general? That piece of junk the rebels call ship jumped to lightspeed, and our tracker isn’t functional. Are we going to blow up this base in case some rebels hid themselves under the floor? Are we to start an aimlessly search? For Empire’s sake, what do you want us to do?”

Kylo’s cold tone and controlled demeanor, aimed at imposing the respect he deserved, had quickly turned into barked words and spasmodic movements.

But he wasn’t the only one. Hux had also lost his composure.

“To prove our superiority! What they’ve done is an insult, worse than an insult! They’ve humiliated us and we must annihilate them!”

“The Resistance is no more, we destroyed it! Luke Skywalker is death and the ones that run away are just a band of thieves. They have nothing left! The New Republic is almost done, Hux, we have to focus on that!”

Suddenly Hux pulled himself together and answered sharply:

“General Organa was on that ship.”

“And what can a woman do against all of our troops? No one came to her rescue today, and no one will.”

“That woman is your mother.”

It didn’t went unnoticed to Kylo that the general had skipped all formalities.

“What are you implying, General?”

“Do you think I didn’t notice the way you were looking at that scavenger? I know you helped her. No one would have killed leader Snoke and his guard and left you behind, alive. Do you think I can’t smell the stink of treason in all this?”

Before he realized it Hux had the sizzling red blade inches away from his throat.

“Shut that mouth of yours, or I’ll will,” threatened Kylo.

“Don’t you dare to point that at me.”

“Who do you think you are talking to?”

“And you, Ren? Who do you think you are talking to? Remember, you are alive thanks to me. I command the army that serves you, you are nothing without me.”

Kylo bared his teeth in anger. Part of him wished to make the move and end all of this, once and for all. Instead, he turned off the saber and walked to the exit.

“Be careful, Hux, I’m the one who commands the Force, and an army is not enough to bring down our enemies. Focus on your work and recover Coruscant from the hands of the New Republic,” he said before disappearing through the door.

 

With the Supremacy’s hyperdrive badly damaged, Kylo moved to the Intimidator, one of the few Star Destroyer’s saved from the destruction caused by the rebel fleet in the clash before Crait.

Accommodations where prepared for him, probably at the expense of some high officer that would have to sleep on the middle rank facilities from now on. Finally alone, Kylo sat on the corner of the bed cradling his face between his hands. He couldn’t stop thinking about the look Rey had given him before she left, how she had ended their connection.

What was that behind her eyes? Disappointment? Hate? She hadn’t bothered to bid farewell, she just left. And she left him behind, alone.

He stood up, eager to release his frustration. There wasn’t that much furniture in the room so he took it out on the closet door like it was his worst enemy. Instead of soothing his pain, the emptiness his felt on his chest grew with each blow, leaving him breathless.

He couldn’t understand why the Force was still connecting them, now that Snoke was death. Why did it connect them then? Why had he had to see her go, unable to do anything to stop her? It was too painful.

Kylo stopped his assault, resting his head on the door with a muffled sob.

He wished he could act on his words to Luke, he wished he could destroy her. If he did the pain would be over. But it was impossible. Kylo would kill before letting harm befall her. He had, already.

He raised his right hand to look at it. A warm tickling ran through his fingers where she had touched them. She said he wasn’t alone… but she had abandoned him. He closed his hand violently and turned around, banishing the scavenger from his mind.

What was the use of hurting himself by conjuring her image? He had more important things to care about. Hux had gotten suspicious and had to be stopped before he turned against him. Despite his weakness, the general was a dangerous man and Kylo wasn’t going to underestimate him.

He approached the communicator and contacted the destroyer’s captain.

“Captain Berisse, I want you to contact the Knights of Ren. Tell them to set aside their missions and come quickly to the Intimidator for an audience. Choose some high officers to replace them on their tasks.”

“Yes, Excellency”

“Has General Hux arrived?” added Kylo.

“Not yet, sir. The freighters are on their way.”

“Notify me when he does.”

“At your service, Excellency.”

The communication was cut off and Kylo returned to the bed. He wished for his knights to come quickly, he had to show Hux he had allies too.


	2. Allies

# 2\. Allies

 

A reddish planet came into view as the Falcon got out of hyperspeed and everyone gathered in the cockpit to see it.

Kagurall didn’t have a rebel base or any other structure that could be related to them, but its people unconditionally supported the Resistance, which some years ago had helped them drive the First Order out of the planet.

“The Empire enslaved the locals,” explained Lieutenant Connix as the ship started to descend. “They forced them to work on armament production. With the fall of the Empire it seemed the planet had recovered its peace, but then…”

“Then the First Order turned the planet into a recruitment station,” finished Finn.

“Exactly. That was until we helped free the planet again, five years ago.”

“It reminds kind of reminds me of Jakku” said Rey, unable to look away from the sphere that took up almost all her field of view.

As they approached it she found its surface differed from Jakku’s sands, but it was a desert none the less, light-years away from what she had seen in Takodana or Ahch-To. It barely had vegetation and its landscape was made out of big mountains and steep cliffs.

“If that planet resembles Jakku I resemble BB-8” said Finn.

“Hey! Don’t push your luck!” she said, hitting him playfully on the shoulder.

It was the first time she and Finn shared an idle moment since her friend was injured by Kylo Ren on Starkiller. Since their escape from Crait Finn had spent all his awaking hours watching over the woman that laid unconscious in one of the Falcon’s bunks, while she spoke with General Organa and took turns piloting with Chewie and Qulaya.

That’s why she didn’t think twice when Qulaya and Chewie took care of the controls and left the cabin to join Finn, wishing to share some more time with him.

“How’s…” started Rey before realizing she didn’t know the name of Finn’s friend.

“Rose.”

“Yeah, Rose. Sorry. I forgot.”

“No worries. She’s fine, I think. Tedd is keeping an eye on her and told me her life isn’t in danger. But I can’t wait to arrive on planet so she can have a real doctor take a look on her.”

“I’m sure she’ll be fine,” she tried to comfort him, resting a hand on his forearm. “You’ll see.”

Finn smiled.

“And you? How are you? We barely spoke since you came back. How did it go with Luke Skywalker? Was he nice? A grumpy old man?”

Rey felt uncomfortable, she hadn’t talked about what happened with any one. The only person that knew the truth about her visit to the Supremacy and her meeting with Supreme Leader Snoke and Kylo Ren was Leia, who seemed to know even before she showed her the broken lightsaber.

She didn’t want to hide the truth to her friend, but she wasn’t sure he’d understand the reasons behind what she did. It had been unwise. Reckless. She felt stupid for letting Snoke manipulate her and make her believe she could save Kylo Ren. She had been played like a child without even realizing it.

“It was… complicated. And boring,” she said, playing it down before quickly changing the subject “What about you? Someone told me your adventure in Canto Bight was amazing, and that you escaped from Supremacy, right through Captain Phasma’s hands!”

“It wasn’t a big deal, really. In truth, it was Rose that did everything. Rey, if it wasn’t for her I would have run away in a scape pod like a coward. I was only thinking about… well, you know, saving my ass and securing the beacon.”

“Don’t talk like that, Finn. You’re not a coward. You’ve never been.”

“Yes, I am. I was afraid and…”

In that very moment, the Falcon started its landing sequence and Poe appeared at the door.

“Hey buddies, we’ve arrived. Better find a place to sit if you don’t want to be tossed around.”

“Sure” said Finn. “I’ll be with Rose, I want to help carry her when we land.”

“Hey, Finn, wait…” started Rey, but before she could finish the Falcon swayed sharply. By the time she recovered her balance Finn was as far away from her as if a whole galaxy stood between them.

 

They settled on the farm of Potus Pot, one of the liaisons General Organa had on the planet and one of the many who had received her call for help on Crait.

“I’m really sorry I could come to your rescue, Princess Leia,” the man apologized, once they gathered for a meeting in his private chamber. “Our forces are limited and we need them here in case the First Order decides to strike again.”

“I understand, Pot. You know I would never held that against you. The only thing we are asking for right now is a place to stay until we find another base.”

“You may stay as long as you need.”

Pot had offered the barn and the guesthouse situated a few miles from Sulanate, the main city of Kagurall. The farm was strategically hidden in a valley between rocky mountains where, a long time ago, water carved deep canyons like the paths of a labyrinth; it was safe even if the First Order decided to investigate.

Days went by and Rey felt more and more alone.

Finn remained busy all day. Either he was helping with ordinary tasks, like cleaning or farming, or he took care of Rose. Her injuries weren’t so bad as to fear for her life, but the limited resources of Kagurall, where the only bacta tanks were owned by the wealthy, slowed down her recovery. The Resistance was, at the moment, avoiding any contact that could bring the First Order to their door, so asking for help in this case was out of the question.

Rey hadn’t had the chance to talk to him alone, and even though she thought about telling him the truth of her encounter with Kylo Ren, she had dismissed the idea due to the lack of privacy in the new base. She couldn’t risk everyone finding out. She wasn’t ready for it.

Poe, for his part, got his hands on a ship thanks to Pot and left, accompanied by lieutenant Connix, to recruit new members for the Resistance. They were aware of the best locations to try and knew the importance of returning with fresh troops if they wanted to keep up the fight against the First Order.

Chewbacca had also left, taking the Millennium Falcon and another two members from the Resistance with him, to check the condition of some of the old rebel bases in case one of them could become their new hiding place.

And Leia… Leia had a lot to do. Although they found themselves in a secluded location, the meetings with her allies never stopped, accomplished via encrypted communications and third parties. The former Princess of Alderaan was the heart of the ashes that remained of the Resistance and the one to reignite a seemingly extinct fire.

That’s why Rey wasn’t surprised when Leia called for her the next morning to share her new plan.

“I’m going to Coruscant. I have some old friends there, strong allies. Coruscant remains the center of the Galaxy, if we manage to keep it safe from the First Order’s clutches we will have won an important battle. I need to establish new alliances and bring strength back to those who’ve lost all hope.”

“Then, I’ll go with you. You’ll need someone to protect you and I can be that person. Besides, I have nothing to do here.”

“No, Rey. You belong here, with the Resistance that’s being reborn. When Chewie, Tedd and Qulaya come back with a place to settle I need you to go to the new base and keep everyone’s hope alive. You are the proof that the Force is still alive, that miracles exist. People need those little things to keep fighting.”

“But…”

“Don’t worry. He won’t hurt me.”

Leia didn’t mention his name, but both of them knew who she was talking about.

“How are you so sure? He killed… He killed Han. And Luke died because of him.”

“I know because he had the chance to do it and he didn’t.”

Rey felt a twinge on her chest and pressed her lips. The image she’d seen when she touched hands with Kylo was still alive in her memory: Ben with the Resistance. She had trouble accepting that future was no more than a false memory that Snoke planted on her mind; a lie. But, what else it could be? Snoke recognized he was the one who created the bond that connected her to Kylo through the Force. And if he was able to create it, he could also manipulate it.

Moreover, Kylo rejected her. Although being so close to redemption, although he faced his master and defeated him, he messed it all up with that stupid proposal of ruling the Galaxy together. How could he even think she would be tempted by that? Maybe Snoke had also tricked him and showed him a distorted image of her.

If only he had helped her save her friends, she could still hope...

“Rey,” Leia’s voice startled her, bringing her back to reality.

She raised her gaze to observe the General. She deeply admired the determination that kept her fighting for what she believed, despite the hard blows she’d received during the course of her life.

“There’s always hope, Rey.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am.”

Rey pondered on it and finally decided to accept the General’s plea.

“Ok, General. I’ll stay here and help with everything I can.”

“Oh, please, don’t even think about calling me General,” Rey chuckled

“Fine, Leia. I wish you the best luck in Coruscant.”


	3. Knights of Ren

# 3\. Knights of Ren

 

The communicator in his room notified an incoming message from Captain Berisse and Kylo rushed to answer

“What’s the matter?”

“Ikki Bree and Marudd La’l just landed, Excellency.”

Ikki Bree and Marudd La’l were the last to arrive after the other Knights of Ren reached the Intimidator over the last few days. Now they awaited for their master to give them new orders.

“Good. Bring them all to the meeting room next to my chamber. I’ll reunite with them shortly.”

“At your command, Excellency,” agreed the Captain before adding hesitantly “If I may insist, sir, General Hux asked again for you to contact him on his private channel.”

Kylo clenched his jaw and flared his nostrils, letting a strangled sound of frustration escape his throat.

He hadn’t talked to Hux since their meeting after the battle of Crait, where they barely discussed about the First Order’s next steps. Hux had tried to contact him on several occasions, but Kylo always refused arguing a busy schedule. He knew, however, the conversation couldn’t be delayed much more. Each day he didn’t face Hux the power of the general became stronger, and that could bring serious consequences.

He averted his gaze from the hologram for just a second, trying to regain his composure, and turned his attention once again to the image of Captain Berisse.

“Connect me with him.”

“Yes, sir.”

The holo flickered and the captain’s form turned into the pail and angular face of the general. His expression was as acrid as always.

“What’s the meaning of this, Ren?” said Hux, point-blank, when the communication was stablished. “You called the Knights leaving our most important battles without their leaders!”

“What gives you the right to demand an explanation from me, General?”

“Being the commander of the war we are fighting in, sir.”

“As far as I know, the Knights of Ren are under my command, not yours. Can’t any of those admirals of yours take care of this missions?”

“Of course they can, but this is irregular! Your men have commanded those battles for years and a high-ranking replacement like this can’t be done overnight. Even less… even less after what happened!”

“I don’t care if it’s irregular. And I don’t care if you don’t like it, understood? The battles of Thyferra and Bothawui are practically won. And Corelia and Chandrila will fall when we take Coruscant. So find a capable officer who can take care of Naboo and make that damn rebel planet bow down.”

Hux didn’t answer, but judging by his expression he was fighting the need to do it.

“Which brings me to my next question, General Hux: How are the arrangements for the invasion of Coruscant coming out?” Kylo added almost instantly.

“There has been some hindrance.”

“What hindrance?”

“The remains of the Senate of the New Republic settled there. A lot of planets are afraid and don’t want to get involved in this new organization, but other are already electing new representatives and sending them to Coruscant. Furthermore, the New Republic army is being restored to protect them. A new fleet is being gathered nearby the planet.”

“A fleet? Why wasn’t I informed?”

“Maybe I would have if you answered my calls.”

They glared at each other through the holo before Hux dared to add:

“Anyways, the New Republic army has never been a threat, it can’t be compared to our fleet.”

“Then, what are you waiting for to make a move?”

“Starting a battle there could be counterproductive, sir,” Hux spoke to him like he would a child that couldn’t understand what he was saying. “We can’t send the entire fleet to Coruscant; if we did we would leave our other fronts exposed. You said yourself, Thyferra and Bothawui have practically surrendered. We can’t afford to lose them now.”

He made a pause before continuing.

“On the other hand, if we start a battle with a small fleet we could run the risk to lose it. We don’t know exactly the true number of the New Senate’s allies and another defeat would damage our image in front of the Galaxy. It’s been shameful enough that a bunch of rebels escaped after killing our Supreme Leader. If something similar happened again hope would return to the worlds we are fighting to conquer, and even to the ones that are already under our control.”

“Then find a way to take Coruscant without a battle.”

“And what do you thing I’m doing?”

“Right now you’re doing nothing.”

Hux squinted in contempt at Kylo’s words.

“Don’t worry, Excellency,” he answered calmly. “I have some new information and I’m developing a plan you will surely enjoy. I’ll contact you when everything is prepared.”

After that Hux’s image disappeared.

Kylo didn’t like one bit the way the conversation had developed, and even less the General’s last words. He knew Hux was up to something, but what could it be? Unlike Snoke, he hadn’t mastered the ability to read into people’s minds when they weren’t present, and that was something he couldn’t risk doing to Hux. He still needed his support.

He would watch him closely with the help of his Knights. It was essential he meet with them as soon as possible to explain the situation.

In an involuntary gesture, Kylo approached the compartment he’d had installed in his room, next to the door, to take his helmet. He clenched his fist in realization that he wouldn’t find it there. The Knights of Ren knew his face, they had followed him to the Dark Side before he became Kylo Ren, when he only was Ben Solo. But Kylo hadn’t appeared before them without his mask for almost ten years, and, somehow, he felt exposed.

Snoke’s words echoed in his mind.

«Take that ridiculous thing off. You are just a child in a mask.»

Kylo clenched his jaw. The worst part was that Snoke had been right. He reminded himself of it every day, every hour. It was the reason General Hux treated him with no respect.

Kylo had to show them he was capable of handling the situation.

 

The seven knights awaited in the meeting room. Only Tioka and Yang Sook Mi sat on their chairs, as D’sshu and Haran leaned on the wall, arms folded. Ikki and Marudd, the last to arrive, were chatting near the door. Finally, Eliph sat on the table, his legs crossed, with a carefree attitude.

“Ren,” greeted Yang Sook Mi as soon as Kylo entered the room. “What happened? Is it true the rebels killed the Supreme Leader?” she said, speaking for all of them.

Kylo’s answer surprised them all.

“Look for microphones in the room and destroy them.”

“What?”

“Do it! Now!”

Eliph stood up on the table and raised his closed fist in front of his mask, before pointing slowly to a circuit box on the wall.

“There.” D’sshu opened it and pulled out a microphone.

“And there.”

The second one was next to Marud and Ikki, who took care of it. When the room was clean, Kylo spoke.

“It wasn’t the Resistance that killed Snoke. It was me.”

Some surprised whispers crossed the room, but the silence that came along with the confession was as loud as the greatest of the noises.

“Snoke was the Empire’s heir and his ways had no place in the Galaxy anymore. We need to create a new order,” Kylo looked at them for a moment, assessing their reactions. “Hux has started to suspect, that’s why I need you here, to be my eyes and to protect me while I redirect the situation and transform the First Order in the tool for change it was always meant to be, far away from the postulates of the Jedi Order, the Sith, and all that Force religion which corrupts everything.”

“What about Skywalker?” asked Yang Sook Mi.

“We fought and he lost. I’m sure all of you felt his passing in the Force.”

“Yes, we did. But that means the Jedi Order is also death. We won this battle.”

“Not yet. There’s a last Jedi who could bring back the Order and resurrect the Resistance.”

“A last Jedi girl? Where there survivors that night?” she asked.

“No. She is a new apprentice that Skywalker took recently.”

“Then we must destroy her and finish what you started ten years ago once and for all.”

Kylo clenched his fist, hidden under his cape. He didn’t answer


	4. Lightsaber

# 4\. Lightsaber

 

Rey’s staff cut the air one last time before its wielder sank to the floor, exhausted, letting the light of the afternoon’s sun warm her skin. Her mind didn’t sit well with inaction, and training and meditation weren’t helping in calming her restless thoughts.

She didn’t know how many days had passed since Leia left for Coruscant, but it felt like an eternity. The same eternity she had been trapped in that Outer Rim backwater planet, looking for chores to ease her mind where there were none. The same eternity that separated her from Crait’s events… and from the last time she’d seen Kylo Ren.

That image had been bothering her persistently for some days. In fact, it had been bothering her since they arrived at Kagurall, but she’d managed, somehow, to smother it into a slightly annoying humming in the depths of her mind.

But now… that humming had gained intensity and turned into a recurrent pounding that didn’t let her think. She saw Kylo everywhere. _What if?_ Those two words repeated constantly inside her head.

_What if she hadn’t closed that door?_

_What if she had tried to convince him to give up his path of darkness and death, instead of attacking him?_

Often, while training or helping the farmers who fostered them, she found herself thinking of him. She imagined turning around and finding him in front of her, like so many times before. But it never happened.

And she missed him. Now that he’d stopped reaching for her, Rey realized how lonely she felt and that no one had ever understood her as well as he did.

“Hey, Rey!”

Startled, she quickly shoved those feelings to the confines of her heart and turned around to face Finn. At his side stood Rose, looking a lot better than day before.

“Hey Finn!” she greeted “And hi, Rose.”

Rey approached the couple, offering her best smile and holding out her hand to the small woman.

“I’m Rey. Nice meeting you, at last.”

A clearly astonished Rose nervously raised her own hand and shook Rey’s.

“Rey? The same Rey that defeated Kylo Ren? The one who destroyed StarKiller base and went looking for Skywalker?”

“The same. I think.”

Rose turned to Finn, excited.

“Maker, I can’t believe it. She’s Rey!”

“Yes, she is. And as much as I understand your elation, Rose, I think it’s better if you return her hand to her. I know from experience how much she hates it when someone takes it.”

Rey couldn’t help but laugh when Rose finally dropped her hand.

“I’m so sorry!” she said. “But, you know… wow. This is so cool! I know two big legends of the Resistance! Page would freak out if I could tell her!”

“Hey, hey, hey. Wait a moment. No big legends. The only legend here is you.”

“I agree with Finn. I’m just a scavenger from Jakku,” said Rey. “I’m glad you’re better, by the way. Finn was so worried, he didn’t leave your side.”

Rose seemed overwhelmed. She glanced at Finn out of the corner of her eye, blushing satisfied.

“Thank you,” she said, turning her attention to Rey “I’m still a bit bruised, but at least I can move now. I’m used to the lack of bacta tanks, so I know how it feels to recover from a few cracked rib all by yourself. But it hurts!”

“Damn if it hurts!” agreed Rey, remembering her own experience as a scavenger, all those times she fell or stabbed a finger while searching for pieces inside old star destroyers.

“Anyway, I hope we didn’t interrupt something. You seemed… thoughtful.”

“Oh. No, no, don’t worry. I was just training. There isn’t much to do here, except waiting for those who left. I try to stay fit,” she said, showing her staff to prove it.

“It’s so cool to meet a real Jedi and be able to watch her train.”

“I’m not a Jedi” chuckled Rey.

“Of course you are! You can use the Force, and have a lightsaber!”

“If you say so…”

“That remind me, Rey, what did you do with the lightsaber?” asked Finn. “Did you give it back to Skywalker?”

He probably asked out of curiosity, perhaps he felt some sort of connection after using it to fight Kylo Ren. His words, however, reminded Rey she hadn’t talked to Finn about what happened, making her anxious. That was a good moment to bring it up, but Rose’s presence made her falter. She seemed a nice girl, and she surely was seeing as Finn had an eye for people, but what happened aboard the Supremacy was too intimate to share with a stranger.

“No. I… em…” she hesitated, before adding “It broke.”

It wasn’t a lie, the lightsaber had broken.

“You broke a lightsaber? By the stars, what did you do?!”

“It was a… tough fight.”

Rey turned away from them, squatting next to her bag. Her hands were shaking when she took the two pieces that remained of the hilt and the memories of the throne room came rushing back to her. The pain Snoke inflicted on her; the fear and disappointment she felt when she thought Kylo was going to kill her; the relief, mixed with unbelievable joy and a sense of triumph at Kylo’s look of infinite complicity before both of them engaged the fight for their survival, back to back.

But all that was gone, and all that remained were the two chunks of lifeless metal in her hands.

_What if I hadn’t tried to recover the saber?_

_What if I was wrong and that’s why the saber didn’t obey me?_

_What if I didn’t understand him?_

_What if?_

Rey clenched her fists, not knowing if she meant to treasure the remains or to force away her thoughts and feelings. Then, she stood up to show her friends the broken weapon.

“I want to fix it,” she said. “But I don’t know how. Do you think I could find technician specialized in Jedi weapons?”

Rose gently took the weapon to study it.

“Jedi tradition says each Jedi must create his own weapon. The kyber crystal is broken in half, but maybe it can be polished. Or you could try finding a synthetic one to replace it. Perhaps we can information in the HoloNet.”

Suddenly, an idea crossed Rey’s mind

“I’ve got it!”

“What?” asked Finn.

“I just remembered where I can look for information about lightsabers. I must go. See you later. And thank you so much, Rose!” Rey bolted off leaving her baffled friends behind.

 

The barn was empty when Rey sneaked in, closing the door behind her. She hoped Rose and Finn hadn’t followed her, but it didn’t seem to be the case.

Inside the building, hidden between tools and covered with old filthy blankets, the few belongings she had kept on the Falcon waited there while the spaceship was on its mission.

Rey pulled out one of the boxes and gently uncovered the Sacred Jedi texts that Skywalker showed her on Ahch-To. She had taken them without telling anyone before she left the island. She knew that could be considered robbery and that any true Jedi would severely punish her for it, but there weren’t any Jedi left, and the last one had turned his back on the religion and its doctrine. And Rey desperately needed some insights on the Force and its ways, even if only to keep herself alive. That’s why, in a childish outburst, she had _borrowed_ them to learn from their teachings, clearly planning on returning them when she was finished. But now that Skywalker was gone, maybe the texts where safer with her.

She took one of the books, one with a maroon leather cover, and flicked through it, searching for some kind of lighsaber section. If Rose was right and the Jedi created their own weapons, surely there would be a chapter about it somewhere in the texts. Rey had the mechanic expertise to carry out the process, but she was in the dark when it came to the kyber crystal.

But before she’d inspected half of the volume, she felt it, the disturbance in the Force that enveloped her in silence and warned her about another presence in the, otherwise, empty room.

She returned the book to the box, and when she turned around Kylo was there.

Her stomach turned as a result of both relief and disgust at his image. She hadn’t forgotten a single detail of his face, but having him in front of her, after all that time, made the whole thing real, as if she had just awoken from a dream.

She opened her mouth to say something, but he was faster.

“Go away.”

Rey frowned, surprised.

“What?”

“I said go away! I don’t want to see you!” he answered sharply, with a tone he had never used before when talking to her.

Rey stepped back, almost instinctively. Kylo’s voice was full of anger, but also of desperation and pain. She felt baffled. That wasn’t what she’d expected from their reunion. But, on second thought, what had she expected?

She clenched her fists, confused.

“And do you think I do? I didn’t organize this! I don’t even know why it’s still happening now that…!” She bit her tongue.

“Now that Snoke’s dead,” he finished.

And then, before anything else could be said, he turned around and started walking away.

Part of her was afraid that’d be the last she’d see of him. Perhaps, if he closed the door too, like she did, their destinies would be separated forever. And she was terrified.

“Where are you going?” she asked, desperately looking for a way to prolong a reunion that, in truth, wasn’t meant to be.

“Perhaps if I walk far enough I’ll stop seeing you.” He answered without turning to look at her.

But the bond didn’t work that way. Even though he kept on walking in the opposite direction, the distance between them remained the same. As much as he tried to get ways, the Force still cast his image meters away from her. When he finally understood, the knight stood still, giving his back to the girl.

Rey considered him silently for a while.

“I had no choice” she said.

“Your only choice was leaving me unconscious on the floor, surrounded by the corpses of my allies so I could be accused of treason?” he shouted furiously, finally turning around.

“You wanted to kill my friends!”

“Your friends are my enemies! That mentor you love so much abandoned me when I was a child and left me with a man that tried to kill me!”

Rey was struck speechless. She couldn’t help feeling reflected on Kylo’s words. She saw herself as a child, abandoned on the desert by unloving parents that sold her to a man that enslaved her and forced her to work as a scavenger, exposing her to multiple danger and not caring one bit about her survival.

By the time she found the right words to answer him, it was too late. Kylo had disappeared, leaving her alone once more.


	5. Coruscant

# 5\. Coruscant

 

“You wanted to kill my friends!”

“Your friends are my enemies! That mentor you love so much abandoned me when I was a child and left me with a man that tried to kill me!”

Kylo hadn’t intended to scream those words, just like he hadn’t meant to flee the moment she materialized before him. But it was almost like his body acted on his own, moved by the anger and the resentment.

He had been sure he wouldn’t see her again, that their connection on Crait was the last remainder of the bond Snoke created. Now his carefully crafted façade came crumbling down, and the pain he’d managed to hide under the weight of his new Supreme Leader duties resurfaced in waves.

To scream at her had seemed the best way to stop them.

He was surprised, however, when she didn’t answer by throwing his anger back at him. She didn’t call him a monster, she didn’t scorn him. Rey hadn’t returned to their starting point, like he feared. And that left him befuddled.

_Why was she acting that way? Could it be she felt as hurt after what happened?_

Something close to guilt pinched his soul. Kylo wasn’t used to that feeling, but lately he had felt it way too often. It felt unpleasant and sticky, like letting yourself be drowned in mud.

He studied Rey’s expression in an attempt to understand her. The girl remained silent, grave, almost like she had seen a ghost. There wasn’t hate in her, only… What was that? Understanding? Simpathy? He almost preferred her disdain, at least he knew how to manage it.

Kylo opened his mouth, without really knowing what to say.

But then, she disappeared.

“Rey?” he asked, with a trace of despair on his voice.

It couldn’t be, he told himself, clenching his fists in frustration. She couldn’t have disappeared so soon. They had barely any time to talk.

He run through the door of the training room and came out to the hallway. He looked both ways, searching for her, but only saw the two stormtroppers that guarded the door. Randomly choosing one of the ways, he took off running, letting the Force guide him.

He didn’t get too far before he run into Yang Sook Mi.

“Master,” she greeted, her voice distorted by her helmet.

Yang Sook was the only knight that didn’t address him as “sir” or “excellency”. Kylo wasn’t bother by it, they had known each other for a long time and he knew Yang Sook’s respect went further than mere social pleasantries. She had always put her lightsaber at Kylo’s service, and considered him a true master to look up to.

If there was a person in the whole Galaxy that Kylo valued, even if just a little, that was Yang Sook Mi, a nautolan born and raised in Hosnian Prime. As him, she had been part of the group of padawans Skywalker took under his wing after opening the temple of the New Jedi Order. Their relationship had been good from the start and it could even be said they were friends.

“Is there something wrong?” asked the Supreme Leader, trying to keep his composure.

His comrade’s sensitivity could easily perceive his conflict, something which surely would translate in an inconvenient question that he’d have to answer with a lie.

“I’m here to report on Coruscant’s inspection.”

“Yes. Of course. That’s good, Yang Sook. Tell me.”

“The operation is paying off, Master. We found the main senators involved in the restoration of the New Galactic Senate. They are hiding in different hotels under false names, but their security is weak. They’re probably counting on the Republican Army to protect them, but we can reach them easily.”

“Have you informed Hux about this?”

“Not yet.”

“Good. Get Tioka and Eliph for a secret mission. You’ll come with us, too. I’ll be commanding the operation. We need a cargo ship that can smuggle in without drawing attention. We’ll carry out a silent assault and eliminate as much senators as we can, before word gets out.”

There was brief silence, before Yang Sook spoke.

“Ren, you are the Supreme Leader now. Getting involved in an operation like this…”

Kylo’s warning look made it clear he wouldn’t admit any objections, although it wasn’t as hard as the one he would have used with a stranger that dared question his orders.

“Do I have to repeat myself, Yang Sook?”

She hesitated for a moment, but finally shook her head.

“No, Master.”

“Good. I want D’sshu, Haran, Ikki and Marudd to stay here, in case there are any complications.”

“Understood”

“And one more thing, make sure they don’t tell Hux until we arrive in Coruscant. I don’t want that nosy bastard to interfere in this mission.”

Yang Sook nodded before turning around and walking back the way she had come.

Alone once more, Kylo glanced at the end of the corridor. There was no sign of Rey, and it was likely their connection had broken after all the time he’d lost on that conversation. He wanted to think this new encounter meant the girl was in Coruscant, provably acting as an escort to Leia.

He breathed out loudly, quickly heading to his room to prepare. He hoped to protect her by personally commanding the mission; that was, in fact, his reason for taking part in an operation that he really didn’t care much about.

That, and knowing Leia would be there.

 

They’d managed to slip past the Republic’s security perimeter and now their cargo ship was headed to one of the planet’s landing bays. Coruscant vibrated with intense activity. Kylo had been there before, when he still answered to the name of Ben and his mother dragged him from one place to another, absorbed by her senator and diplomat duties. He didn’t like the place, too many noisy, too many stupid people. Besides, the memories of those times were particularly disturbing.

It was late at night when they landed. The knights wore their usual armors, now covered by hooded robes to prevent unwanted attention. Many species used them in the big city to hide their appearance from foreigners, so they would easily fit in. Kylo, on his part, wore his usual black and had also covered his head to avoid recognition.

A couple of soldiers approached them asking for identifications as soon as they got off the ship. The political environment in Coruscant was tense and the remains of the New Republic fought earnestly to protect their leaders.

“You don’t need to see our identifications,” commanded Kylo, with a slight move of his hand. “Everything is in order. We are carrying a shipment of spices and can’t wait to spend the night in the city’s clubs.”

“Everything is in order,” repeated one of the soldiers. “You may leave.”

Mybe it would have been more convenient to kill them and eliminate any loose threads, though Kylo, but could jeopardize the mission if the dead bodies were found before its end.

Once the bureaucracy was over, the group quietly sneaked into the lowest levels of the city, where it was easiest to lay low. The streets were crowded despite the late hour, creatures from around the Galaxy enjoyed the festive atmosphere surrounded the nightclubs’ neon signs and their drinking offers. No one would guess a war was being fought beyond the borders of the planet or that it was being guarded by an army.

Kylo and his knights looked for a quiet place to develop their plan.

“What are the positions of our targets?” asked the Supreme Leader.

Eliph displayed a holographic map on his DataPad.

“Their spread across seven different hotels. These two shelter half of the senators. This one, a quarter. The rest are here, here, here and here.”

Kylo recognized one of the locations. It wasn’t exactly a hotel, more like a building with dependencies used by the senators during the Republic and Papaltine’s Empire. It had suffered some damages during the Clon Wars and it was restored after that. His mother had used those dependencies from time to time.

He had an idea.

“Eliph, Yang Sook, you two will take care of the two principal locations. Proceed together, one by one. If the alarm rings before you end your job, abort the mission and return to the meeting point.” Then he turned to Tioka “You'll take care of this location. And I'll take care of this one. We will meet in the landing bay in two hours.”

None of the knights questioned Kylo on his choice of target, he’d picked the only place harboring one senator. They knew exactly why.


	6. Vision

# 6\. Vision

 

Every day, Potus Pot’s farm looked more like a vacation resort than the hiding place of the Resistance. Poe and Connix’ mission had gone better than expected and, in a few days, the barn and the guesthouse were no longer enough to accommodate the flow of new recruits. Most of them were camped nearby, and those that had their own ships stayed there, waiting for the Resistance to find the right place to establish the new base.

Rey knew this were good news. It meant hope was still alive, despite the losses and defeats suffered on the past weeks. Maybe they still had a chance to defeat the First Order and its growing power over the Galaxy.

Still, and even though everything seemed to be following the Force’s plan, she felt overwhelmed by the disturbing reduction of privacy and by the increased responsibility of her new role.

Rey was still unable to find her place in the Resistance. Although Leia told her she had an important role in what was to come, she couldn’t find it. The new recruits were all excited to meet her. After only a few weeks the account of her heroic deeds had spread through the Galaxy, and started to become a legend. She didn’t know how to feel about it, in reality she had failed in her most critical missions.

“Are you sure we can trust all these people?” Rey asked Poe, during a quiet moment shared far away from the crowd that surrounded them day and night.

Rey wasn’t exactly distrustful, but she’d lived on Jakku long enough to know most species would sell you off for a portion. Besides, after the incident with the Master Codebreaker it was clear the First Order wouldn’t skimp on their rewards to those willing to find them. As they said, better safe than sorry.

“Don’t worry about that,” answered Poe, self-confident. “We brought only the ones that were clean. The others await new orders in their own planets. We will give them more information when they prove their loyalty. Maybe we’ll even let them become part of our regular troops.”

“Sounds like a good plan to me. By the way, how many people have you recruited so far?”

“About seven hundred. But we only brought ninety here.”

“Seven hundred? That’s amazing! I though…”

“That all was lost?” smiled Poe.

Rey shrugged. She didn’t want to seem fatalistic, but sense told her that after what happened no one would want to be part of the Resistance.

“I thought so too, Rey,” recognized Poe. “But you brought them here.”

“Me?”

“Everybody wants to fight alongside the Jedi.”

The sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach got worse. Rey couldn’t say the news lifted her spirits.

“I’m not a Jedi,” she replied while shaking her head. “I’m just a fraud.”

“Don’t say that! You helped us destroy Starkiller Base, and you defeated Kylo Ren. Jedi or not, part of the merit is yours.”

“It was all thanks to you. And I’m really sorry all these people came for me, I don’t have anything to offer them. I wish master Skywalker was here…”

“I agree. It would be wonderful if he was still with us, but he isn’t. Instead, you are. And it was thanks to you that the Resistance didn’t die on Crait. We owe you. You’re our hero.”

Rey smiled faintly in appreciation. And she was about to add something, when a familiar voice interrupted her.

“Poe Dameron! You are a sight for sore eyes!”

They both turned around to find Finn.

“Finn!” exclaimed the pilot, hugging his friend. “You are quite the adventurer! Where have you been?”

“No, man. You’re the one who’s all day partying!”

“You are in for a world of pain” Poe threatened fondly, before tickling him mercilessly.

Rey smiled at the sight, but then a beeping attracted her attention. When she looked down she found BB-8 rolling towards her before stopping by her side.

“Yeah, I think so too” she said to the droid.

More beeping.

“You’re totally right. It’s better if we leave them to alone. They need to talk about many things.”

Even more beeping.

“Something to do? Well, now that you mention it, you can accompany me, I’m working on something in the garage.”

 

Potus Pot and General Organa had agreed the rebels wouldn’t disrupt the daily routine of the farm, excluding the exceptional help they offered Pot and his workers. After the massive arrival of new recruits, however, Rey asked Pot to use his garage when unoccupied, to work on her lightsaber. It was the only way to find a bit of peace in that place, and desperately she needed it to face such a complex task.

“How are you doing?” she asked BB-8, while they headed to the garage.

It answered with a litany of cheerful beeps.

“Looks like you are having lots of fun exploring new planets and meeting all these people. I’m happy for you.”

BB-8 answered with some curious beeps.

“Me? Not much else to do, if I’m being honest. Only train and work on Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber.”

This time the droid beeped confused.

“Yeah, it broke. It’s a long story.”

Its beeping became excited.

“You know how to fix it? Really? That’s great! I’d really appreciate your help. I’ve been reading those sacred books, but still can’t find a way to complete the process. Maybe you can lend me your tweezers.”

Once in the main building, Rey knocked on the garage’s door. There was no answer, so she entered the code on its control panel to open it. In one of the corners, spread through a working space, she had placed the pieces of the lightsaber’s hilt. Seen as the crystal had broke in two identic pieces, she’d decided to create a double bladed saber that resembled the staff she was used to wield. The problem was she hadn’t been able to connect the crystals to the mechanism and stabilize them.

“I can’t add a crossguard like Kylo’s lightsaber,” she told the droid in answer to one of his suggestions. “Don’t you see there would be no space left from where to grab it?”

BB-8 beeped interested.

“I don’t know where the problem is, exactly. The sacred texts only say the connection needs to be done using the Force, but I don’t know how.”

The answering beeps were confident.

“You want try with the Force? I can’t, BB-8. Skywalker barely taught me one or two things on the island.”

The droid insisted encouragingly.

“Okay, all right. I’ll try.”

Rey closed her eyes and tried picturing the lightsaber in her mind. First, she only evoked the image of it she’d seen seconds before, but it wasn’t enough. She tried to remember what Master Skywalker had told her about the Force’s nature. Instinctively, Rey reached out her hand for the crystals.

She could feel them, beyond touch and imagination. She felt them like she felt the life and death in Ahch-To. The same way she’d felt Kylo each time they met through the Force.

Then, something inside her started to guide her in the process of putting the pieces together. It was almost like she’d acquired knowledge she wasn’t aware of having. Suddenly,t she knew what she had been doing wrong, she had applied the same logic that she used when working with common technology, but laser swords and kyber crystals had its own.

It was as easy as connecting the crystal and create an energy bridge to…

Suddenly, everything went black.

The sword and the crystals disappeared and she was left floating in space.

Rey saw a ship, Leia’s. The General was trying to flee, but the hyperdrive didn’t work, somebody had sabotaged it and the ship couldn’t jump to lightspeed. Then, another ship appeared. It wasn’t a First Order starfighter, but Rey knew it was an enemy vessel.

It had almost caught up with Leia’s ship when it opened fire.

The vision faded and Rey found herself in the garage again, her heart pounding loudly inside her chest.

BB-8 beeped worried at her side.

“I saw Leia,” said the girl with a faltering voice. “I’m not sure if it was a vision of the future or…”

She couldn’t finish the sentence as her voice broke and tears pooled on her eyes. If it wasn’t the future it could only be something that had already happened.

Rey panicked. Without really knowing what to do, she rushed out of the garage in search of Pot, leaving her droid friend behind. She found him in his office, on the main building. The creature gave her a surprised look with his bulging eyes, placed at both sides of his elongated head, when she crushed inside.

“Is something wrong?” he asked, worried.

“I need to contact General Organa,” replied Rey, practically throwing herself at him. “It’s an emergency. She could be in danger!” she added, not long after, to emphasize her words.

That last sentence seemed to work.

“We’ll use my communicator” offered Pot, making space next to him so Rey could join the conversation.

He typed the commands, but try as he might he didn’t get an answer.

“Do you know where can I find a ship, Mister Pot? I have to check on the General’s safety.”

“Take mine. I’ll find you a pilot.”

“No need.”


	7. Mother and son

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very happy to announce Ranchel is going to help me with the translation from now on! Bad translations are finally over XD  
> Chapters 1 to 3 are already revised, and 4, 5, and 6 will be ready soon.  
> I hope you enjoy her work as much as I do!

# 7\. Mother and son

 

No one came out to meet him when he reached his mother’s floor in the hotel Eliph had pointed. The Supreme Leader knew she was there, though; he could feel her in the Force. The reigning silence also confirmed his hunch, it meant Leia had dismissed her escort and prepared to face him alone. Kylo felt slightly relieved, at least that meant he wouldn’t have to worry about Rey and her safety.

Standing in the middle of a corridor bathed in darkness, Kylo turned on his lightsaber, its red blaze shining like a warning of what was about to happen. Then, he approached the apartment he knew so well, his steps echoing around the place.

He found it deserted like the rest of the floor. Lights and shadows danced through the windows creating an uncertain atmosphere, while the sober and formal furniture emphasized the feeling of emptiness and helplessness; an omen of death.

A figure awaited on the couch presiding the living room.

“Ben.”

He shuddered at the sound of his mother’s voice, and found himself dragged into a past he thought dead. Although he tried hard to control himself, a decade’s worth of supressed emotions threatened to overflow. Unfortunately, the woman in front of him –the one he hadn’t seen for so many years- wasn’t the only thing unbalancing him. The apartment itself was full of memories of the life he so desperately wanted to forget. Every direction he looked, he found pieces and fragments that shook him to the core.

There was _too much light_ in that room and Kylo didn’t feel prepared to face it.

“Have you come to kill me?”

His mother’s words returned him to reality.

He didn’t like the way Leia treated him, with that tint of condescendence, as if talking to a child. It had always been like that with her, even if she hadn’t been aware of it. To her, he hadn’t been more than a disappointment, a burden. Kylo wanted – _needed_ \- her respect, to be treated like an equal, but she kept on looking at him from her pedestal, one he would never reach.

He felt the anger thrash inside of him, the same he had wallowed in so many times before, now fed by the many memories that permeated the place. He wanted to scream, plunge his lightsaber into the couch and turn it into ashes. He wanted to silence that voice inside of him that still reminded him he was nothing.

He forced himself to remain calm. He wasn’t a child anymore, desperate for his mother’s attention. Now he was Supreme Leader of the First Order, ruler of the Galaxy, and he had to behave like one. He couldn’t allow his mother’s actions or his own feelings to interfere in his goals.

“Yes. I have come to kill you,” he answered in the calmest voice he could muster.

“And can I know the reason?”

“You are a traitor, the leader of the Resistance, and you have jeopardized the Galaxy’s peace and stability with your conspiracies. You must pay for your crimes.”

Kylo silently watched his mother as she took some time to think. She had aged drastically since he last saw her. Wrinkles covered her face and her auburn hair had turned grey like ashes. Her traditional intricate Alderaanian hairstyle had also become more simple, as had her clothing and jewelery. Leia had become a shadow of herself.

She got up and approached the window before speaking again.

“You are right, I am a traitor. I’m a traitor that looks for peace and freedom, for a balanced Galaxy that doesn’t depend on the tyrannical rule of one man. A traitor that has seen and suffered the pain of war and that has fought to be respected. But what would you know about that?”

It was that last sentence that ignited his anger once again. Kylo’s gloved hand squeezed around the hilt of his lightsaber.

“Don’t you dare treat me like a stupid child, _mother_.”

“Then show me you aren’t one.”

“I’m the Supreme Leader of the First Order! I’m the ruler of the Galaxy! Show some respect!”

“No, Ben, you are no leader. You’re just a spoiled child begging for attention.”

It was the final straw. Kylo let out a monstrous howl and with a movement of his hand threw a piece of the furniture against the wall, breaking it into a million pieces. The roar made Leia jump in shock, and before she realized what was happening, her son had crossed the distance between them and raised his sword menacingly.

“What do you know about spoiling a child when you didn’t bother to raise your own and handed him over to the first person who offered just to get rid of him?”

If those words hurt Leia, she didn’t show. The woman stood unmoved, dignified against her son’s threat.

“You’re right. I wasn’t a good mother. I’ve never been prone to nursing and my job absorbed me almost completely. But I did it the best I could. And I think Luke did to. Despite everything, you can’t say we didn’t love you.”

A slight smile, sinister as darkness itself, appeared on Kylo’s face.

“You say you loved me, huh? You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You are the one with no idea of how much we fought for you, how much we cared.”

“Who cared? You, spending all your time in the Senate? Han Solo, focused on his stupid races? Do you know what Luke did to me the night I abandoned the New Jedi Order, mother? Did he tell you?”

The princess’ look turned dubious.

“That night he tried to kill me because he decided he couldn’t fight the darkness he saw in me. That same darkness you were so afraid of.”

“That’s not true.”

“Of course it is. And you know it. You know that was the reason that made him leave and hide like a coward on the limits of the Galaxy.”

Leia swallowed hard, making a strangled noise.

“And you, mother, did you agree with him? Did you want to get rid of me too because you didn’t know how to manage me? Or did you just shuffled it off so you didn’t have to make a choice?”

“If I had known, I would have never allowed…!”

“Shut up! I don’t want to listen to your pathetic excuses! I don’t care about them! + Luke is dead. As are Han Solo and Snoke, all them gone. And those who dare get on my way, who dare try to manipulate me, to use me, will suffer the same fate. And you will be the next!”

As they fought, Kylo had cornered his mother against the wall. But then, with her back against the wall, Leia did something he couldn’t have imagined. She gently took the hand that held his lightsaber.

“Kill me, if that makes you feel better. I’ll die gladly if I knew that would give you the peace you seek, Ben. But it won’t. Nothing will. Nothing will fix the mistakes your father, your uncle and I made. And I could apologise for eternity, and still they would remain unfixed. Believe me when I say I am truly sorry, I wish I could travel back in time and change everything I did wrong. But I just can’t.”

Kylo raised his lightsaber, pushing Leia’s hand away, and prepared to follow his mother’s words.

But in the last moment, when he was about to deliver the fatal blow, Kylo sank his blade on the wall instead, reaising a gleaming cloud of smoke.

“Ben…” the princess whispered, turning her gaze from the damaged wall to her son.

“Go. Now! Run!” he shouted.

For a brief moment, Leia hesitated before reason prevailed and she run to the apartment’s door. She knew what that mean, her son gave her the means of escape he could offer. Ben couldn’t go back. Not now. Not yet. But he could choose. And he chose not to kill her.

Before she left, she turned one last time.

“May the Force be with you, Ben. Always.”

And then she went through the corridor, escaping from a destiny she had considered unavoidable.


	8. On the way

# 8\. On the way

 

When Rey came out of Potus Pot’s office she knew there was only one person she could trust as her companion on the rescue mission: Finn.

Quickly crossing the camp, she found him chatting with a group of newcomers. Fortunately, there was no sign of Poe, who had probably returned to his duties. Rey felt relieved, she didn’t want to have to explain herself to the Captain.

“We need to talk,” she whispered urgently to her friend.

And before he could even answer she dragged him to a hidden corner.

“What’s the matter?” asked Finn, noticing the concern that surrounded her.

“I need you to come with me to Coruscant. The General… Leia could be in danger.”

“What? In danger? How do you know?”

“I had… A vision. I know it sounds crazy. I myself can’t believe it, yet. But something inside me tells me that I must hurry or I won’t be able to save her. We have to leave immediately.”

“Rey, you don’t need to convince me, I know your power is amazing. I saw you lifting rocks, remember?”

Rey smiled faintly despite the urgency tension of the situation.

“Yes, I remember.”

“Well, then. If you say that we must go to Coruscant to save the General, we go. It doesn’t matter if you saw it on a vision or a little bird told you. I trust you.”

“Thank you, Finn.”

“You’re welcome. But, how do we do it? Do we tell Poe? I can ask Rose to come with us. I know I spend the day with her, no need to remind me, but I swear she is a very efficient girl. When we went to Canto Bight…”

“Finn, there’s no time. We must depart right now. Potus Pot lent me his ship, everything’s ready.”

“But she’s right there! It will only take a moment to tell her. Maybe…”

Rey didn’t let him finish, she took him gently by the arm and looked him in the eyes.

“It can only be the two of us. Please. I will tell you everything later.”

 

Once the ship had entered hyperspace and with Finn watching the controls, Rey went to the main hold to resume her lightsaber’s repairing. Although it was almost finished, she’d had to hurry if she wanted to be ready for the fight. It’s not that they’d departed to a dangerous mission without any weapons; in fact, they had _borrowed_ some blasters from the barn. But, for some reason, Rey felt safer with the saber on her hand. Not even her old staff companion offered the same sense of protection anymore.

But the lightsaber wasn’t the only thing that brought her to the main hold. Being with Finn made her feel guilty that she hadn’t told him about what happened in the Supremacy yet. Nor about Kylo Ren and their meetings in the Force. Or the way those encounters changed her perception of the enemy.

Rey thought that being alone with Finn would give her the opportunity to finally talk to him, and she had rehearsed the conversation in her mind several times. But, no matter the words she chose, the hypothetical result was always the same: Finn got angry at her. And Rey understood why. Her unwavering faith in Kylo Ren sounded deranged even to her, so how could she expect her friend to understand her. A Wookie would sooner learn to speak Common. In the end, she had chickened out and hid in the main hold, in case a trivial conversation made her feel even worse.

She vanished those thoughts for the moment, focusing instead on the task at hand. The weapon was the most important thing at the moment and she had to concentrate if she was to work on it.

Like she’d done on other occasions, she closed her eyes and reached out to the Force, letting it guide her through the process of connecting the components of the hilt. Somehow, she knew she was very close to finishing it. It was like the Kyber Crystals talked to her; they pointed to the place where they belonged, the connections she needed to make, and the thoughts she had to convey to make them work. That’s why she knew the weapon was almost done.

She wasn’t sure if it was the Force what she felt in those crystals, but it was clear to her that a secret voice spoke to her without words, just like the crystals did. Only her soul could understand those whisperers that sometimes alerted her to the dangers that surrounded her.

Just like it did in that exact moment, whispering that something had changed and she wasn’t alone anymore.

Rey opened her eyes and stood, cautious.

And then she found Kylo, sitting next to her.

Although she knew he wasn’t really there, she could feel him. She could feel his presence and his warmth, and could hear even the smallest of sounds produced by his body.

Rey was about to demand an explanation to what she had envisioned. Who else could be the mind behind Leia’s death? Who else could want her dead, other than the Supreme Leader from the First Order?

But then she realized Kylo hadn’t noticed her. Furthermore, he seemed upset. The Knight looked downcast, his hands entwined and his arms resting on his knees. It definitely wasn’t the first time she saw him in a vulnerable position, but she knew it was a side of him only she knew.

Suddenly, he looked up.

They watched each other silently for what felt like a lifetime, as if there wasn’t a whole Galaxy between them. Rey was sure that if she reached her hand and touched his face, she would feel it solid under her fingers, just like that time in the island, when she’d clearly felt the touch of his fingertips.

She surprised herself wishing to stroke his cheek and his lips, to feel their touch in her hands. But she didn’t. In fact, she made her memories of Ahch-To disappear from her mind, feeling exposed.

It was that memory that soured her voice when she spoke.

“What did you do to Leia?”

He frowned slightly. It was a minimal flick of the eyebrows that he quickly hid under his impassible mask.

“What are you talking about, scavenger?”

The fact that he referred to her using that pet name did not escape to Rey. And it hurt more than she was willing to recognize.

What happened to the man who called her by her name? What happened to the man that assured her that, despite not having a place in this story, she was important to him? And why did she miss him so much?

For a moment she felt confused.

Kylo’s presence made her lose control in a way she couldn’t explain. They were enemies on opposite sides of a war for the Galaxy. He had a very different concept of life and power, but when she felt alone and overwhelmed he was the first person that came to her mind, the one Rey wanted to talk to and feel supported and accepted by. He was the person she wanted by her side.

That’s why she didn’t answer harshly, too afraid that it would alienate him further.

“I had a vision…”

She didn’t if it was a good idea to tell him, still he probably was the most indicated to talk to about it. There wasn’t anyone more trained in the ways of the Force than him, even if it was in the Dark Side. Furthermore, Leia was his mother. And Rey fervently believed that the part of Ben that still lived inside Kylo cared about her.

“A vision?” asked him.

“Yes. I saw a starfighter destroy Leia’s ship. And I sensed her death! But I don’t know if…”

She could not finish the sentence. Before she did, Kylo had jumped to a standing position. His unaffected façade turning into the face of a terrified man.

“Where was it? When?!” he exclaimed, out of himself, approaching Rey and taking her by her shoulders.

Rey felt his globed hands when they strongly griped her. She felt their pressure, their warmth, their motive, and almost instinctively she covered them with hers without pulling them away.

“I don’t know. I’m not sure about what I’ve seen! I just… I felt it! I was working on my lightsaber and then all went black. I saw a Starfighter chasing the General’s ship. And before the vision ended, the starfighter fired. I didn’t see the rest, but I knew deep inside it was a fatal shot!”

There was a short moment of silence and acceptance after the confession.

Kylo seemed to collect himself, and as if suddenly realizing what he’d done, he freed Rey, almost ashamed. He hesitated for a moment, but didn’t say anything.

“Your mother is in Coruscant.”

“I know. I am there too.”

“You are?”

“Who do you think is protecting her?” he answered, a little bit sharply.

Rey’s heart skipped a beat. She wasn’t wrong to think that Kylo still cared about Leia, and she felt comforted. Maybe it would all be different this time.

“Ben… You have to do something.”

“Where are you?”

Rey hesitated, but just for a second. Then, all her doubts vanished as if they had never been there in the first place.

“On my way. I’ll be there in an hour.”

“Good. I’m going to need your help.”

“Sure. Where are we meeting?”


	9. Racing the clock

# 9\. Racing the clock

 

With that promise of help, Rey vanished in the dark and Kylo rubbed his face trying to relieve the tension that ate him away.

What was he doing? He asked himself. And why did he insist on endangering everything he had achieved to protect a woman who’d never accepted him the way he was? Kylo knew if someone discovered what he had just done -what he was planning to do next- his days as Supreme Leader would be numbered. No matter how powerful he was.

Despite that, a part of him forced him to go on. And that part was growing stronger and more demanding by the day.

He put his thoughts aside and left the apartment. He’d made his choice and there was no time to lose. In half an hour he had to meet his knights at the landing bay.

While walking the streets of Coruscant, he went through the plan he and Rey had come up with. It was a simple one, but Kylo knew from experience those were the best. Besides, both of them could count on the Force, which always made things easier.

His job was to meet the Knights of Ren and tell them a half truth: he’d failed in his mission and had Leia escaped. After that, he would send them after her, making sure to keep them as far away as possible from him and the Princess. Meanwhile, he would use the connection with his mother to find her and take her to a safe place to await for Rey.

The rest was up to the girl.

There was only one weak spot to the plan, the alarm raised by the murders committed by his knights had surely began to spread. In no time the Republican Army would be searching for them and the mission would turn into a race against the clock. Kylo didn’t want his search to become a full-on battle; more deaths meant drawing more attention and no one was supposed to know he’d been on Coruscant.

He knew something was wrong before even arriving to the bay. The plan was about to fail without having started.

No mattered how hard he tried, Kylo couldn’t find Leia in the Force. He didn’t feel her presence anymore, that tiny flame he’d always had shining like a lighthouse in the confines of his heart. It was like the Galaxy had swallowed her. Or like she had…

No. If Leia was dead, he would know. His mother had, most likely, closed herself from the Force to protect and hide herself, just like Luke did.

Kylo clenched his jaw. Hell of a time for her to decide to do such a thing. It was going to take more time to find her without the Force, and time was something he didn’t have.

 

Eliph, Yang Sook and Tioka were waiting for him on the landing bay.

“She escaped,” said Kylo, giving no more explanations. “We must find her.”

“But Master, the Republican Army…” ventured Yang Sook.

Kylo answered her with a look that admitted no question. Then, the Supreme Leader boarded his ship, coming back soon after followed by a BB unit and four communicators. He gave one to each member of the group and kept the last one for himself.

“She’s hiding her presence in the Force. She could be anywhere.” Then, he turned to the droid. “Identify the bay where the Princess’ ship is docked.”

The droid approached the terminal linked to the main system and extended his connector arm to start the research. In no time its beeping told them the ship had been found.

“Bay number 6G287. Yang Sook, keep an eye on the area in case the Princess decides to take the ship.”

She nodded.

“Search the surrounding landing bays and identify all the ships ready for departure.” He ordered the droid.

After a quick download, Kylo took the device with the data and gave it to Eliph.

“You and Tioka check this landing bays and make sure nobody boards this ships. Split and keep in contact. Inform me if there’s anything new. We have two hours, if you can’t find her in that time, come back here. And remember: I want her alive.”

“Yes, sir” answered Eliph and Tioka.

“Yes, Master” added Yang Sook.

After that, the three knights disappeared into the night once more leaving Kylo and the droid alone in the landing bay. The Master of the Knights of Ren trusted his warriors, they wouldn’t kill his mother. Despite being mercenaries, despite having embraced the Dark Side, they were still loyal to their code. And they respected him as a leader.

Kylo wondered if he deserved that respect, and the answer was clear: he didn’t. In any case, he was going to use that respect in his favour, betraying them to free Leia.

He used most of the time he had figuring out the possible hiding place of his mother. He tried to remember all the allies she had on the planet and the ones she could have turned to seeking help. He located those who still lived in Coruscant and visited the closer ones, with no results.

He came back to the landing bay with some time to spare, while the night sky filled up with battle ships and the streets emptied as the Republican soldiers took their place. The countdown was almost over.

Just when he started to feel the urgency of the inevitable, Kylo sensed Rey’s presence pulsing inside his mind before a cargo ship appeared in the sky and landed on a near platform.


	10. Disappointment and resentment

# 10. Disappointment and resentment

The arrival at Coruscant was much more peaceful than Finn had imagined. Lead by the heavy aerial traffic in that dream-like city unlike anything they had seen before, they headed towards the landing bay where Rey’s contact waited for them.

Rey wouldn’t tell him her contact’s name, claiming its identity had to remain secret to ensure its safety. Finn guessed whoever it was, it had to be a big shot. It was the most logical explanation to the fact they didn’t want to be exposed and, at the same time, knew the General. The big question was where had Rey meet them.

Actually, what disturbed him the most, even more than meeting with a stranger or the General being in danger, was the feeling that Rey had been acting strange in the past weeks. And that feeling had grown stronger during their trip from Kagurall.

He and Rey didn’t talk as much as the used to. His friend hadn’t told much about her journey in search for Luke Skywalker, nor about her experience training and learning with the last Jedi Master of the Galaxy. And it was quite obvious she had learned a lot, one needed only look at the way she opened the path to Crait’s mines and helped them scape. It had been amazing.

But since their reunion, it seemed like Rey preferred to spend her time training or working in her lightsaber rather than with him or the new recruits. And, worst of all, Finn knew she was hiding something.

Truth be told, Rey and him hardly knew each other. Finn didn’t keep count of the days, but it couldn’t have been more than a month since their paths crossed for the first time in Jakku. But it was also true they’d shared a lot of adventures and, somehow, their friendship had grown stronger because of their similarity. Finn understood how Rey felt because he felt the same way.

However, over the past few days, he’d realized he couldn’t understand her as he used to.

That’s why, compelled by all those feelings and concerns eating at him, he looked down from the cabin, in case he could see Rey’s contact. He wasn’t spying. And he wasn’t suspicious either. Truly, he trusted Rey very much. She always knew what she was doing, while he was tossed from one place to another by the events. Still, he was curious. Something told him Rey wouldn’t tell what she was up to, no matter how much he asked.

But when he looked through the window he was horrified; it wasn’t Rey’s contact that had come to greet them, but Kylo Ren himself.

They had been discovered.

A sudden wave of panic gripped him, just before the adrenalin kicked in. He had to do something and he had to do it quickly.

Finn ran to the main hold and took the first blaster he found.

He knew he was no rival for the Knight. He kept a vivid memory of what happened the last time they faced each other. But he couldn’t stand idly by. Rey was his friend and she was in danger. So he opened the hold’s gate and rushed out to the landing bay, his blaster drawn.

 

Rey didn’t know what to think when she descended from the ship, just after landing on Coruscant. Part of her believed that Kylo wouldn’t be there and the whole thing would be a trap, something that proved that their last conversation through the Force had been just a trick.

But she was wrong.

Kylo was there and he was alone. It wasn’t a trap after all. He didn’t plan to capture her, nor kill her or take revenge on her for not accepting his proposal.

And, most likely, he really wanted to help his mother.

Rey stepped forward but kept a safe distance. The swirl of emotions that being too close to her enemy caused in her was hard to control. On one hand the voice of reason warned her of the perils of trusting him. On the other, she felt relieved to see Kylo again.

She was about to ask about the plan, but he was faster.

“We have a problem.”

Rey frowned. Nice star.

“What kind of problem?” she asked.

“I can’t find Leia. She’s hiding herself in the Force and I can’t reach her.”

“The great Kylo Ren can’t find a simple person in the Force?” she mocked him.

Kylo’s look hardened, but he didn’t answer her banter.

“My Knights are looking for her,” he replied instead.

“Your knights? Are you kidding me? I though you wanted to help her.”

“Of course I want to help her. What do you think I’m doing all this for? They won’t hurt her. I ordered them no to.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“Of course I am. Do you think I would send them after her if I didn’t trust them? Besides, we need to find her fast. We are running out of time.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s none of your business.”

“It’s none of my business” mimicked Rey, who was quickly losing her temper. “Perfect. How do you expect me to trust you if you don’t tell me what’s going on?”

“You’ll have to. Can _I_ trust you after what you did?”

This time, she got closer, enraged. 

“Still with that? I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I offered you the Galaxy! And you left me!”

“The Galaxy doesn’t belong to you!”

“I have the power to rule it! To change it!”

“You’re a fool, Ben. You don’t realize…”

Rey couldn’t complete the sentence. A voice at her back drew their attention.

“Rey, step back!”

Turning around, she saw Finn coming out of the ship, armed with a blaster. The young rebel pointed the gun directly at Kylo and he was ready to shoot. In a reflex motion, Rey moved closer to the Knight and shielded him with her body.

“Finn, put that down,” she pleaded, trying to remain calm.

But her friend did not take the hint.

“We can finish him! Together!”

“This isn’t the right time. Go back to the ship, please!”

“We’ll make him paid for what he did!”

“Finn, you can’t kill him! He’s my contact!”

A heavy silence overtook the landing bay, a silence that smelled of disappointment and resentment. The blaster trembled in Finn’s hand, still pointing up, until he put it down.

“What?,” it was the only word that the young man could utter.

Rey pressed her lips into a thin line, clearly uncomfortable.

“It’s complicated. But if you’d let me explain…”

He shook his head.

“No. This can’t be happening. I don’t want to hear it.”

“Finn, wait!”

Before she could add anything else, her friend run to the ship. She wanted to go after him and tell him the whole truth. It had been a mistake to bring him along without any explanation and now Finn was going to hate her forever. But just then a voice emerged from Kylo’s communicator. Rey let him go and turned to Kylo as he answered the call.

“Supreme Leader,” said a mechanic voice from within the device.

“What’s the matter?”

“I found her. Landing bay 551F90.”

“Good. Don’t let her escape. I’m on my way,” after this Kylo cut the communication. “You heard her,” he told Rey. “Landing bay 551F90. I’ll distract them so she can escape. You take her and get her out of here. And don’t let her return or I won’t be able to guarantee her safety.”

Rey nodded. But after a moment, she ventured:

“And you?”

He raised his eyebrows.

“What about me?” A flash of comprehension crossed his eyes “You thought I’d go with you?” he added.

Rey didn’t answer, but it wasn’t necessary.

“There is no place for me where you’re going.”

“There’s no place for me in the First Order either.”

“I know. But that won’t change my feelings for you.”

Rey’s heart started to race inside her chest. For a moment, she wished none of that was happening, that the First Order and the Rebels didn’t exist and Kylo and her had no ties in the Galaxy.

But no mattered how hard she wished, it wasn’t going to happen. And to wish for something unreachable would only cause her pain. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“I’m going to need a few minutes, probably. I have to convince Finn.”

“Then convince him quickly. The Republican Army will soon lock down the planet so we need to leave as fast as we can.”

Rey was about to add something but Kylo had already started walking in the opposite direction, so she turned around to climb the ship.

 

In the back of the main hold Finn had curled up into a ball, hugging his knees to his chest and with his face hidden between them. He looked like a snivelling boy.

“Finn...” whispered Rey, putting a friendly hand on his shoulder.

He instantly swatted it away.

“Leave me alone.”

“Finn, we must hurry. Leia is in danger. If we don’t stop her from taking the ship…”

At that, he raised his head abruptly.

“You made a deal with the enemy!”

“She’s his mother! He wants to protect her, too! And I needed his help to get to her.”

“Are you messing with me? He killed Han! Don’t you remember? And he almost killed me!”

“I know, Finn. I know. But, in the end, he didn’t. And I’m sure it wasn’t a miscalculation. He didn’t kill you because he didn’t want to. There’s still conflict in him, I know. I can feel it. Snoke tried to turn him into a ruthless killer, but Ben Solo is still fighting inside him to free himself of that imposed legacy.”

“I don’t know you anymore, Rey. I don’t know what you’ve become. He is taking you to the Dark Side.”

“You know nothing about the Dark Side.”

“I don’t get it. He hurt you.”

“Don’t we hurt our enemies too? Do you know how many stormtroopers I’ve killed? Stormtroopers like you, with a name and a family.”

“But they serve in the wrong side.”

“Sometimes we make the wrong choice. Sometimes we have no choice or we can’t escape. Sometimes there’s no other place to go.”

“There’s always some place to go.”

“It’s not that easy, Finn. Not everybody has the same determination as you. And many times our feelings can blind us and stop us from seeing clearly. We think that we are alone, when we aren’t.”

“I still can’t understand.”

“I know it’s not easy, but I saw Ben’s future. And I know there’s still hope for him. I’m going to help him whenever his actions drive him away from the First Order. I feel I must do it. I want to do it. And I’m not asking for your support in this, I just want you to help me save Leia.”


	11. Escape

# 11\. Escape

 

When Kylo finally arrived at the landing bay 551F90 Tioka and Eliph had already captured Leia and were guarding her. The Knights had the decency not to handcuff her and she stood proud between them, as if to prove she wasn’t afraid of them. After all, she was the Princess of Alderaan, who didn’t even fear death.

The woman gave Kylo a sour look as he approached.

“You,” she said, disdainfully. “I should’ve imagined.”

He ignored her, turning to Eliph instead.

“Go get the ship and bring it here,” he ordered. “We’ll pick Yang Sook up on the way. And hurry up. Soon the aerial access will be closed. We must leave as soon as possible.”

The Knight nodded and quickly left, taking the same path Kylo had used to get there.

Now that he’d got rid of the first obstacle, Kylo took a discreet but deep look at the place while they waited, searching for something that could help him liberate Leia.

Except Tioka, the Princess and himself, the landing bay was deserted. A couple of ships remained anchored to the access platform, but both of them were empty, the two Knights had done a good job on clearing the place. Kylo didn’t know if they’d threatened the captains of the freighters or if they just killed them, but he didn’t care as long as it kept them out of trouble.

He finally found a way to create a distraction, a load of boxes left in the corner of the access platform would do.

Pretending to be frustrated by the waiting, and since Tioka was in charge of Leia, Kylo restlessly paced the landing bay, under the disdainful gaze of his mother and the fearful one of his subordinate.

Then, as if he’d had found something, he stopped a few paces away from the boxes getting into a defensive stance.

“What was that?” he asked.

Through the corner of his eye he saw Tioka tens up right behind him, grabbing the Princess’ shoulders harder with her unarmed hand.

“What is it, Supreme Leader?”

“That noise.”

Kylo stepped back, approaching the Knight and covering the Princess’ open flank as if to prevent anyone from taking Leia. Then, he drew his lightsaber and switched it on, making the blade flash red into the night.

“There’s someone there,” he said, without a trace of doubt in his voice.

Tioka didn’t seem very convinced, but she stepped forward nonetheless.

“I’ll take care of it, sir.”

The Kel Dor ignited her tonfa weapons that shined with blue and violet light, her forearm protections preventing any damage upon her own arms. Although her connection with the Force was weaker than the rest of the group, Tioka had always been good at hand-to-hand combat and made up for her shortcomings with excellent military skills, potentiated by a high developed instinct, which was the result of the reminiscence of the Force.

The Knight cautiously approached the cargo, protecting herself with one of the tonfa while she held back the other, ready to attack. She was alert, ready to protect her leader at any cost. But before she reached her target, she stopped. She made a strange movement, like a spasm crossed her body, and then she dropped the sticks, her hands flying to her throat.

“What’s the matter, Tioka?” asked Kylo, maintaining his position beside Leia.

The Knight turned to him trying to speak, but the only noise that emerged from her mask was a gasp. She managed a few steps before she fell to her knees. And with a last inhalation that sounded like a broken bellow through her mask, she collapsed.

Kylo waited a few moments. Then, assured that Tioka wouldn’t regain consciousness in a while, he used the Force to connect once again the oxygen filtering function of her mask. The trick would knock her out long enough for him to find a safe place for Leia, while they awaited for Rey.

However, before he could explain the plan to the Princess, he was violently Force pushed against the wall. The unexpected move didn’t give him time to react and when he finally got up, stunned by the blow, Leia had run to the elevator leading to the streets below.

 “Mother!” he shouted, instinctively. “Wait!”

But it was too late, Leia reached the elevator that started its descent. He couldn’t stop it without destroying it, and that was out of the question.

He clenched his fists and his jaw in frustration. When had she learned to use the Force in that manner? Kylo had always believed her mother was unskilled in that aspect. But, in the end, it was all his fault for underestimating her.

Anyway, he knew where the Princess was going and wouldn’t allow it.

He took out his communicator and contacted Yang Sook.

“She escaped again. I’m sure she’s heading there. I’m on my way.”

The only thing he could do now was try to get to the ship before she did. He wasn’t sure how he’d get rid of Yang Sook, but that didn’t bother him at the moment. The most important thing was stopping Leia from taking _that_ ship. It didn’t matter if she took any other. It didn’t matter what happened next.

He waited for the elevator to come up again, and when he got in, instead of going down he went to the upper level, where he had seen some parked speeders.

While on the way he used the communicator again, this time to talk to Rey.

“Where are you?”

“On my way,” she answered through the device. “I’m going as fast as I can.”

“I need you to change course and go to the landing bay 6G287. I’m sure Leia is going there. But be careful, one of my Knights guards the place. Try to catch up with her before she reaches the platform.”

“Understood.”

“Rey,” Kylo added before cutting the communication.

 “What is it?”

“Don’t face Yang Sook. She’s dangerous.”

“I don’t take orders from you.”

The line went dead the moment Kylo got out from the elevator. He clenched his jaw again. Nothing was going as planned, and protecting both Rey and Leia was becoming increasingly difficult without giving himself away. But he could do nothing to remedy this. And he knew for sure he wasn’t going to stop trying.

A group of young people were making some noise in a corner of the terrace of the upper landing bay. Kylo walked up to them and used the Force to get the fastest speeder they had.


	12. Yang Sook

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the delay, but here you have the next chapter.  
> I hope you enjoy it!  
> Kudos and comments are much appreciated!

# 12\. Yang Sook

 

Rey and Finn didn’t make it in time to the landing bay, a Republican ship stopped them nearby. Luckily, they were able to convince the officials they were seconds away from landing, and they let them go with a simple warning that the aerial access would close very soon.

«Come on, come on!» Rey muttered to herself, feeling the pressure of time.

At that moment, her communicator beeped with an incoming message from Kylo.

“Where are you?” he asked.

“On my way, I’m going as fast as I can.”

“I need you to change course and go to the landing bay 6G287. I’m sure Leia is going there. But be careful, one of my Knights guards the place. Try to catch up with her before she reaches the platform.”

“Understood.”

“Rey.”

 “What is it?”

“Don’t face Yang Sook. She’s dangerous.”

“I don’t take orders from you.”

Rey didn’t like the way the Knight had warned her about Yang Sook. She wasn’t a child anymore and she hated to be told what to do. She could look after herself.

That’s why she was surprised and annoyed when Finn did the same remark.

“Look.” said the young man “I hate to admit it, but he’s right. Yang Sook Mi is dangerous.”

Rey turned to her friend. Those were the firsts words he said since their talk in the main hold.

“You too?”

“Rey, everybody in the First Order knows about that woman. Rumour had it that she was more fearsome than Captain Phasma. And Captain Phasma was really scary. Yang Sook Mi can perceive her enemies’ feelings and attack where it hurts the most. Besides, it was said she was almost as skilled with the Force as Kylo Ren.

“I defeated Kylo Ren.”

Faced with that reply, Finn didn’t add anything else, making the silence build itself into a big wall between them once again. But, after a short while, as if he couldn’t keep silent, Finn spoke again.

“You know? I don’t get it. Why is he helping you? And why are you helping him?”

Rey shrugged.

“I’d like to know, too.”

He frowned.

“Don’t act the fool. You know why. You’re not making me believe all the hate you felt for that dude disappeared for no reason.”

Feeling uneasy, Rey fidgeted in her seat.

“Well, I…” she mumbled before finally confessing. “The Force is connecting us. Since I was on Ahch-To. We both believed it was Snoke’s work, that he created the bond to manipulate and hurt us. But it’s still happening, and he’s not here anymore. It doesn’t matter where we are, we can see each other, touch each other. During one of our connections, we both saw something. I saw Kylo Ren becoming Ben Solo again and he saw my parents.”

“I’m sure that’s not true.”

Rey shook her head.

“No, it’s true. I always knew who my parents were, but I didn’t want to accept it. He just put into words what I didn’t want to hear.”

Finn remained silent and Rey put an end to the conversation. There were still things to talk about, like what really happened in Snoke’s Throne Room. But she knew it wasn’t the best time, you could already cut the air with a knife. Plus, they had a mission going on.

“There’s no time to look for the General on the streets,” she said, after a couple of unsuccessful sweeps through the surrounding area. “Let’s go straight to the landing bay and defeat that Yang Sook Mi. The path will be clear when Leia arrives and we can return to Kagurall.”

 

The place was too quiet for it not to be a trap. Rey got down first, with her new staff close to her. She had finished it during the trip, and even do she hadn’t trained with it yet, she hoped to get used to the new weapon quickly since it was so much like the one she used to carry. Finn, for his part, stayed behind, armed with a blaster, guarding the ship while covering Rey’s back.

All the platforms were empty except for the one that hosted the ship Potus Pot had lent Leia for her mission. It was an old transport model, with rounded shapes and no weapons called Cillia. The moment Rey saw it, the memories of the vision came rushing back to her, reminding her of the enemy’s lethal shot. Her imagination completed the sequence and she could see the ship in front of her disintegrate in the middle of space with a huge explosion.

But she had no time to ponder over that image of destruction and death, in that moment that voice from within that sometime spoke to her, whispering about things her eyes and ears couldn’t perceive, warned her about an impending danger.

She had just enough time to ignite her saberstaff and raise it above her head to block the blow directed at her. The two beams of light crackled as they met, before her opponent somersaulted away, landing on guard.

The two women looked to each other.

“You’re the last Jedi.” said the warrior, whose face was covered with a dark mask similar to Kylo’s.

Her green blade shined next to her.

“I’m not the last Jedi. I’m Rey.”

“Rey, the scavenger from Jakku? What a surprise that the last apprentice Master Skywalker took under his wing is the same girl that undermined the power of the First Order and destroyed Starkiller Base.”

“Yeah, it’s a small Galaxy,” said Rey, challenging, before she added “You must be Yang Sook Mi.”

The Knight took off her mask showing a nautolan face with large black eyes and her lips curved in a prideful smile. The tentacles emerging from hear head, resembling human hair, were decorated with jewels that stood out in comparison to her sober and regal outfit.

“It is a pleasure to know my reputation precedes me.”

“I came in search of General Organa and I won’t leave without her.”

“I’m afraid we share the same goal. I propose we battle to determine who succeeds.”

Rey moved forward and engaged in a combat position.

“Fine by me.”

And then she threw herself at the Knight of Ren.

The blue staff hit the green sword, which, with a simple circular motion, pushed her away before counterattacking with a horizontal swipe. Rey corrected her position and the two weapons met again with a characteristic crackling, flashing their light in the Coruscant night.

Rey realized it wasn’t going to be an easy combat. Kylo and Finn weren’t wrong to warn her about the woman’s skills: she was fast and precise, but above all, she was accurate, as if she knew what her next move was going to be at all times. It didn’t matter where she hit, Rey always met the green blade.

If she wanted to win that battle, she couldn’t go on like that. She had to find her enemy’s weakness.

Rey jumped back after her umpteenth attempt to bridge Yang Sook’s defence. She forced herself to remain calm as she watched the Knight from a distance, like she did when she faced Kylo on Starkiller, and called the Force to her. Now, she could see beyond. It was like having a third eye open in her forehead, and be able to see a part of the world hidden to her until that moment.

Now, she could see what was going to happen. Like an absolute certainty possessed her and a different plane of reality overlapped theirs for a moment, showing her next Yang Sook’s next move.

She took the opportunity and attacked once again.

Yang Sook was going to move right, so Rey feinted to the left and grabbing her saberstaff with both hands, struck on her opponent’s open flank. She didn’t hit her mark, but her blade grazed the Knight’s shoulder. Another horizontal strike and, this time, when Yang Sook raised her lightsaber to protect herself, Rey hit from below finally injuring her enemy on the thigh.  

It felt like a great victory to Rey.

Yang Sook jumped back to put some distance and reconsider her strategy, it was evident she had lost her initial advantage.

And then, it happened. Something for which Rey wasn’t prepared. Something she wouldn’t have seen coming in a million years. Not even the Force could warn her in time.

Her enemy pulled out a small blaster from inside her belt and shot Finn, who was watching the fight from the ship’s main hold gate.

“No!” was all she could shout, because, despite being shot, the distance that separated her from her friend was infinite and there was no way she could reach him in time to protect him.


	13. Loss

# 13\. Loss

To everyone’s surprise, the blaster shot didn’t reach its destination. Instead, it remained suspended in the air, halfway between the Knight of Ren and the rebel man.

Kylo Ren himself stopped it.

As he watched the result of his power, frozen in the air like a warning, he told himself he didn’t know why he’d done it, that his body had moved on impulse. But it wasn’t true. He knew perfectly why: letting the traitor die meant losing Rey. He’d learnt that lesson in the Throne Room, after killing Snoke. That day, he thought he could convince her to give up on her friends in exchange for power. For him, power had always been the most valuable thing in the Galaxy; it was the only form of happiness he knew, because it implied respect.  
But Rey didn’t work that way. For her the most valuable thing in the Galaxy was friendship to the point she would gladly die for a friend. Nothing could make her give up on them.

And since Kylo wasn’t willing to lose her, he would do everything in his power to protect Rey’s friends.

Even if it meant betraying his own.

A few feet away, on the platform, Yang Sook took off his mask as if not quite believing what she’d seen and wanting to confirm it with her own eyes. Then, she turned to Kylo, fixing her dark gaze on him.

The Supreme Leader returned the stare wondering what would he have to do with her now.

His plan had fell apart. First, he’d had to knock Tioka unconscious. And now he would have to kill Yang Sook to keep her from talking. He didn’t want to do it. And he wouldn’t. The nautolan was one of the few people he appreciated and he wouldn’t make her pay for his own mistakes.

Time went by slowly, heavy. The shot was still suspended in the air, like Kylo’s intentions. Only when Rey had moved her friend away, he let the beam of light go. It landed on the rebel ship’s gate, scratching the surface and leaving a black stain on it, like a bad omen.

“Master…” whispered Yang Sook.

He looked at her again. The woman’s lightsaber shined next to her, causing her waxlike skin to sparkle. Kylo was convinced she’d attack him, it was only a matter of time. And even though he didn’t want to kill her, he would have to defend himself.

He considered his options: he could knock her unconscious, like he did with Tioka, and then escape. Fortunately, there was no sign of Leia yet; it seemed that was the only part of the plan that was working on his favour. However, if he escaped… his place in the First Order would be lost and he’d have nothing left.

What to do? Which path to choose?

Before he could make a decision or Yang Sook take her next step, something happened. Rey retrieved her saberstaff and jumped on the nautolan.

At the sight of Rey’s twin blue blades, the first thought that crossed Kylo’s mind was where had she gotten them from. He’d seen her using a similar weapon on Starkiller, but that hadn’t been a Jedi saber.

The crashing of the lightsabers returned him to reality.

The combat had become more intense. The two women moved swiftly, crashing their weapons, and soon the platform wasn’t big enough for them. They jumped to a lower level, a terrace with great views of the city, now empty because of the curfew.

Kylo knew he had to stop them. The situation would worsen if the Republican Army found them fighting. Besides, he didn’t want them to hurt each other. Not them. They were the only two creatures in the whole Galaxy he cared about.

He forced himself to move and run after them, jumping to the lower terrace. But when he arrived, they had descended again to another platform, trading blows and lighting up the night with their lightsabers.

As he was finally reaching them and before he could stop them, Rey managed to wound Yang Sook’s belly with a precise stroke. The nautolan fell to her knees, unarmed, and Rey lifted her saberstaff, prepared to deal the final blow.

Kylo moved between them, stopping Rey.

“Move” she said, furious.

“I won’t let you kill her.”

“I said move!”

This time Kylo didn’t answer, but his hard stare spoke for itself.

“She almost killed Finn!”

“But she did not.”

Rey’s weapon trembled in the air. The young Jedi was fighting herself to find a solution. She angrily bit her lower lip and, after a moment of hesitation, put her staff down. The look of frustration, however, didn’t leave her face.

Kylo took the opportunity and turned to Yang Sook, kneeling down to examine her condition. The cut was deep, she needed a doctor as soon as possible.

“I’m taking her to my ship” he said, as he started to take the nautolan in his arms.

“Do as you please…” answered Rey, not looking at him.

But just then, the roar of a ship’s engine broke the silence that had enveloped them, making them raise their eyes to the night sky. At the sight of the Cillia, Kylo felt a black hole opening in his chest.

From their position they could hear Finn’s shouting. The young man was jumping and signing on the platform above them in an attempt to stop the ship. But he did not succeed and soon the metal blot was lost in the starry night, not even stopping on the Republican aerial controls.

Time stood still for Kylo, and despite the scene didn’t last more than a minute, it looked like an eternity to him as he watched it in slow-motion.

The disturbance in the Force expanded like a tsunami, before a deafening silence burst inside their ears, inside their heads, stealing their breath away. A silence that left both Kylo and Rey orphan.

Because, despite not seeing it with their own eyes, both had felt it in their hearts: how the enemy ship that Rey saw in her vision had caught up with the Cillia as it was leaving Corusncant’s atmosphere, how its laser canons had pointed and fired on the Princess’ ship, how the Cillia, which didn’t even have shields, had blown up in the middle of space, taking Leia with it.

The beeping communicator in his pocket pulled Kylo back to what seemed like a faraway reality. He had a call from the Intimidator and seeing as Rey was far away enough not to appear he answered. The pixilated image of General Hux, blurred by interferences, appeared before him. He wasn’t alone, Kylo could see part of the First Order high command next to the General. He must have reunited the full council.

“Appreciated Supreme Leader,” said Hux, using his regular mocking but also complacent tone. “Your men informed me of your risky mission in Coruscant. How has it gone?”

Kylo clenched his jaw. He wanted to shout, to use the Force and kill Hux, no matter how many light-years separated them. But he couldn’t, he didn’t master that technique. In a way he felt relieved, if he’d had the chance he would have done it, and that would have revealed his true intentions in front of the high command.

“It went well,” he answered with a cold and calculated tone, trying not to let any of his feelings slip into his words.

“An excellent work, sir. As expected coming from you.” Hux waited a moment before adding, “By the way, news have reached us of some senators getting away from your attack. You will be pleased to know our ships intercepted one of them. One of those scoundrels who had escaped too many times but won’t be a problem anymore: Princess Leia Organa from Alderaan herself, daughter of Darth Vader. Although, I don’t know why I’m explaining this to you, when you know her very well.”

The general let out a sardonic laugh, chanted by the high command next to him. Kylo didn’t answered, his mind was far away. The only thing is his mind was the weight of Yang Sook unconscious body in his arms, and Rey, standing some feet away watching the scene with tears in her eyes.

“The planet’s aerial traffic is closed right now, but we will send a convoy to pick you and your men up as soon as possible.”

“That won’t be necessary, General. We will find a way to go back.”

“Perfect, your excellency! We will be waiting for you, then. Have a great trip back.”

Kylo saved himself the trouble of saying good bye and angrily threw the communicator over the terrace.

Not long after, he felt Rey’s hand on his shoulder. He didn’t turn to her but remained in the same position he’d taken to gather Yang Sook in his arms.

The thick night enveloped him, pulling him to the deepest dark, suffocating. He raised a hand and held onto Rey’s, still on his shoulder. He held to it so hard he thought he might break it. He held to it as if it was the only thing that could save him from the Darkness.


	14. A place to go back

# 14\. A place to go back

When Kylo finally let go of her hand, Rey drew it back still feeling his touch on her fingers, a glimmer of the desperation that overwhelmed him the moment he felt his mother death through the Force.  
“Ben, we must go,” said Rey, eyes full of tears.  
He took a moment before answering, still focused on the injured knight at his feet. Or maybe he was just miles away.  
“You must go. And quick, before the Republican forces find you here.”  
“No.” Rey’s firm voice struck like a hammer. “I’m not leaving you behind this time.” She said, promptly adding with desperation “Come with me”  
She held out her hand, that same hand he had hold on to moments ago. To her surprise he didn’t answer defensively, didn’t mock or scorn her. The Supreme Leader of the Firs Order –now a shadow of himself, an unfinished sketch someone left abandoned on the canvas surface - got up and turned to her.  
The young Jedi could see the sadness kept inside those black eyes that seemed apparently endless.  
“Han Solo is dead. Luke Skywalker is dead. Leia Organa is dead. Now, more than ever, I have no place in the Resistance.”  
“But you can’t return to them! They killed…! They killed Leia!” exclaimed Rey, trying to keep her voice from cracking.  
“Yes, they did. And that’s why I must return, to make Hux pay for it.  
“Then I’ll go with you.”  
“No, Rey. This isn’t your fight. It is something between him and me. Besides, it won’t be a lightsaber battle. There is no way you can help me with this.”  
“Well, let’s find another way then! Let the Republican Army help you! We can use the fleet that the Resistance is forming! Let’s stop this from happening again!”  
A smug and bitter smile faintly curled Kylo’s lips.  
“The same Army that’s been fighting the First Orden with no results?”  
The truth behind those words made Rey feel uneasy.  
“Right now you don’t stand a chance against the First Order. The Resistance had no power before, much less now. On the other hand, I am a monster, remember? You said it yourself. I don’t care about the Resistance. That’s why no one will come to help me, even though my goal is to avenge my mother. And they won’t because I’m their enemy.”  
“I will.” Kylo was surprised by her answer and it showed in his eyes. “I’ll convince them to help you. And I will because I know the man behind the mask. And he’s not a monster. Maybe he has blood on his hands, but so do I.”  
Rey was going to add something but realized there was something more powerful than words to express her feelings. She searched one of her belt’s pocket, the one where she kept the beacon Leia gave her when she’d gone to Ahch-To. The other half she had left with BB-8, in case something went wrong.  
“Here,” she said, gently placing the device on his gloved palm. “I have the twin on in the rebel base, in Kagurall. When I get back I’ll keep it with me at all times.”  
Kylo looked at the object.  
“In the wrong hands this could put you in danger,” he said, without taking his eyes off the throbbing light.  
“I trust you,” she answered, closing his fingers around it.  
They shared one last look, in which Rey was submerged for an instant in his deep eyes while thinking how much she liked them. After that, she moved away, walking to the ship before adding:  
“Do what your heart tells you, not what you’ve been told or whatever you think it’s your destiny. And if you decide there’s another way for you, come find me. I’ll be waiting for you.”

 

Finn was waiting for her in the ship when Rey finally came back.  
“What are we going to do now?” was the first thing he said upon seeing her.  
“Wait till we can get off this planet and return to Kagurall, I guess. There’s nothing keeping us here anymore...”  
“We should contact Poe and tell him what happened.”  
“Yeah,” she nodded. “We should.”  
But instead of heading to the cockpit, she leaned against the main hold’s metallic wall and slid down until she sat on the floor. Then, she closed her eyes, feeling tired.  
Moments later she felt her friend’s presence next to her, he took her in his arms, holding her close.  
“I’m so sorry about what happened. I just feel terrible I wasn’t able to stop… Leia from dying.”  
“It wasn’t your fault, Finn. You did what you could. The three of us did. Somehow- I feel it was meant to be.”  
“I’m so sorry, anyway.”  
Rey nodded, her eyes filling up with tears that soon began to roll down her cheeks.  
“And… You know. What about him?”  
“Him?”  
“Kylo Ren.”  
“Oh. He left. He went back to the First Order.”  
“What? But… I thought after what happened… He saved my life. I can’t believe it yet.”  
“He told me it’s the only place he can go back to. And that he had to take care of Hux.”  
Finn pressed his lips into a thin line, flaring his nostrils.  
“I hope he will.”  
Rey didn’t answer, still deep in meditation. It was like her body was there, but her mind miles away, on the other end of the Galaxy.  
“Rey, listen. Can I ask you a question?”  
“Sure.”  
“Do you… Do you feel something for him?”  
The first “sure” was automatic, but the second question brought her back to reality. She looked at Finn. She’d been avoiding answering that question for weeks, to him and to herself. Now, for the first time, she felt prepared. She didn’t fear the consequences of having feelings for Kylo Ren, for Ben Solo. And she didn’t want to keep lying to Finn –or to herself- either. Accepting it was the only way to find a solution.  
“Yes, I do” she said.  
Finn didn’t seem surprised.  
“And does he feel something for you?”  
“Yes, he does.”  
“Maker, Rey. What a mess you’ve made.”


	15. Loyalty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi there!  
> Once again, sorry for the delay. This week is being a chaos. I hope I could get back to routine sooner.  
> Please enjoy the chapter, and stay tuned because the next one is really cute. I love it.  
> Thanks for reading and see you next Monday!

# 15\. Loyalty

 

A group of droids and a medical officer were waiting for them when the ship landed on the Intimidator after a brief fly from Coruscant. Kylo came out of the shuttle carrying Yang Sook in his arms, closely followed by Tioka and Eliph.

“Your Excellency,” the officer approached them slowly “are there any injured? Do you need medical assistance?”

“Just her” answered the Supreme Leader. “We’ve stabilized her in the ship, but she’s badly hurt.”

“Lay her down on the stretcher, please. It doesn’t look good,” added the officer after a quick examination. “Her internal organs have been damaged. We must immerse her in a bacta tank as soon as possible.” Then he turned to one of the droids “G-36-O prepare the patient, we are taking her to the nursery straightaway.” 

“Yes, officer.”

Kylo observed the scene silently, keeping his distance. But before they left, he took the officer by the arm.

“I want you to inform me as soon as she gets out of the tank,” he said, staring down at him with a look that admitted no objections. “And I hope she recovers, or you’ll pay the consequences.”

“Indeed, your Highness,” nodded the officer, terrified. “Do not worry. We will inform you right away.”

After those rushed words, he disappeared after the droids and the stretcher.

“A mishap, your Excellency?”

The voice at his back instantly put Kylo on alert. He’d been so focused on the medic team’s work that he hadn’t noticed the arrival of the rest of his entourage’s to the hangar. 

General Hux lead the group with an annoying smirk.

Kylo felt the unrestrained urge to cut his face in half with his lightsaber in order to erase that insolent look. The memories of what happened in Coruscant haunted him incessantly. But he had to swallow down his rage, the whole high command escorted the General, smiling in a flattering and fearful attitude.

Kylo couldn’t get used to the charade that came with the role of Supreme Leader.

“We fought against a rebel squad,” he explained.

“It must have been an elite group to wound one of your men. I hope you were able to apprehend them and make them pay.”

“I did.”

“Well, on the bright side, what happened to that Knight is just a mere casualty given the scale of the operation. Twenty-seven senators killed! And princess Leia Organa herself among them! This will send a very clear message to the republican rebels that insist on confronting the First Order. Great operation, sir. Congratulations.”

Hux’s mocking tone was quickly getting on his nerves.

 _Thank you_ , he wanted to answer before leaving as fast as he could. He only wished to lock himself inside his room and tear it down with his bare hands. It was the only way he knew to take out the frustration and rage that scorched him from the inside.

But he couldn’t do it. The presence of his subordinates fell on him like a sentence from which he couldn’t escape. He was the undisputed protagonist of the show Hux had organized. Everyone expected a reaction and he had to keep on acting in this eternal charade.

So he decided to return to his character in order to get it over with.

“How are the other fronts progressing?” he asked.

He could see surprise crossing Hux’s face for a split second. The General had, provably, expected something else from him. Maybe he though Kylo couldn’t bear the pain.

How little he knew him.

“I’m glad you asked, your Excellency. We have news from Thyferra. And very positive ones, by the way. Furthermore, Admiral Brookla was proposing a preventive attack on Corellia and Chandrillia to motivate its surrender, now that Coruscant is no longer a republican bastion. But it’s better if we discuss it in a more suitable place. We have arranged a meeting in one of the command rooms, if you’ll be so kind to join us.” Hux stepped aside, showing him the way. 

Kylo clenched his fist under his cape. He didn’t want to, but he had to. He stepped slightly forward before casting Hux a cautionary glance.

“Of course. It will be my pleasure.”

 

The meeting had been hell. Kylo knew Hux had organized it as a sign of strength. The General wanted to intimidate him, to show off and prove himself in front of the High Command of the First Order.

Despite Kylo removing the Knights of Ren from the most crucial fights, Hux had managed to hold positions, not giving an ounce of land back to the Republic supporters. He even managed an overwhelming victory in Thyferra, though that was not much of an accomplishment seen as most of the tactical work was already done when he took charge. The High Command, however, didn’t care much about details. Only the results mattered. And Hux ability to handle the situation had amazed them.

If Kylo wanted to discredit Hux and get rid of him to avenge his mother’s death, he was off track. He’d have to consider a new strategy from now on. But politics had never been his thing. He preferred to use force (and the Force) to get what he wanted, and Snoke had always encouraged his impulses. His was another way to do things, and now that he had to play at Hux’s game he realized it was out of his league.

That reminded Kylo of his mother, she had always been very good with rhetoric and persuasion. That’s why she had been a great senator. It was ironic that he would have to follow her steps in order to avenge her.

Doubt and despair seized him. He hadn’t allowed himself to embrace those feelings, but now he had to recognize that Leia’s death had hurt him deeply. He knew he lacked his mother’s abilities, politics and diplomatic relations had never been his thing.

He couldn’t succumb to doubt. He swept it aside, as he always did. Perhaps he wasn’t like Princess Leia Organa, but he knew how to make his will prevail.

 

The room’s communicator alerted him of an incoming call.

Kylo got out of bed, where he’d been trying to rest, in vain, after the meeting turned his frustration into tiredness.

“What is it?” he asked the device, pressing the answer button without looking at it.

“I’m doctor Bul, your Highness. I’m calling to inform you the Knight Yang Sook Mi has come out of the bacta tank and is now resting in room number 20. She’s in good shape and will be fully recovered in a few days.”

“Perfect. Clear the room. I’m coming to visit her.”

“As you wish, you Excellency.”

Kylo cut the communication, running a hand across his face. His problems grew with every moment. He hadn’t decided yet what to do with Yang Sook. He didn’t want to kill her, that’s why he’d taken her back to the Intimidator instead of abandoning her on Coruscant. But Yang Sook had seen him stopping the shot directed at Finn.

Even though Kylo was sure Hux _knew_ what had really happened in Coruscant –judging by the glance the General sent him after the meeting, when they were left alone-, he had no evidence.

That would change if Yang Sook spoke.

Kylo put on his gloves and boots, and headed to the medical wing. Maybe he could find a way to persuade her to leave of her own free will. He didn’t know how exactly, but he was the Supreme Leader of the First Order, and ultimately, his word would be of more value than Yang Sook’s.

 

The nautolan was still unconscious when he arrived at room 20. A droid was checking her vitals.

“Leave us,” ordered Kylo. “And stay at the door. Don’t let anyone get in.”

“Yes, your Highness” obeyed the humanoid robot.

A chair was placed next to the door. Kylo moved it near the bed and sat down.

Yang Sook’s waxy skin had lost part of its bright green colour and now offered a more subdued tone that reminded him of dried moss. Without the Knights of Ren dark costume, she seemed smaller, weaker, like an animal out of its habitat.

An idea crossed the Supreme Leader’s mind, to kill her now would be as easy as igniting his lightsaber and reopen the injury the bacta had closed.

“I would do it, too.”

Yang Sook’s voice startled him. The woman hadn’t opened her eyes to say them. She did then, slowly, staring hard at him with her totally black eyes.

“Since when do you love her?”

Kylo knew it would be pointless to deny it. Nautolans like Yang Sook had the ability to feel others’ emotions, thanks to the tentacles that emerged from their heads. Moreover, she didn’t need to use her ability with him, she’d always had the power to read him like an open book, probably because of the friendship they shared for so long.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I think since we captured her in Takodana, to interrogate her about the droid.”

“You were fascinated by the way she resisted your power.”

“Yes,” he nodded, feeling like Yang Sook’s words cut him open leaving him exposed.

“And what happened then?”

“Then Snoke connected our minds to… manipulate me.”

“And fascination became attraction.”

He didn’t answer this time. There was no need.

“Ben Solo.”

Kylo raised his gaze from the floor, where he’d fixed it while his mind wandered. His stare was hard, his left eye twitching with the tension.

“I won’t denounce you.”

He still didn’t speak. On the one hand because he thought he knew Yang Sook’s reasons, on the other because he was curious about the things he didn’t know.

“I know you hate when people calls you by your true name, but you are still Ben to me. The lonely boy that could never get his master’s attention, despite trying his best. The same boy that locked himself in the meditation chamber and cried in anger and frustration when he thought no one was looking.

If I am here it’s for you. You know it. I don’t care about the First Order or being a Jedi. But I’ve always wanted a master and you took that place. No one else. Not Luke and neither Snoke.

And because of that, Ben, whatever you do, whoever you serve, my saber will always be by your side.”


	16. At home

# 16\. At home

 

“Tell me everything again. From the beginning” said Poe Dameron.

Finn huffed, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. They’d been in that office for two hours, and he was beginning to feel exhausted.

“Poe, we told you three times,” he said with exasperation.

But the other man just shrugged, without uncrossing his arms or stepping away from the desk he was leaning on.

“I know. But I still don’t get it. Maybe if you tell me once more it’ll makes sense.”

“Making sense or not, that’s what happened,” added Rey, interrupting them in an attempt to settle the matter. “To tell you the story again won’t change the fact that Ben helped us. Nor that Hux was the one that gave the order to kill Leia.”

Poe didn’t give in. The whole thing sounded bizarre.

“I’m pretty sure this is part of some devious plan. I bet they want you to think we can trust Kylo Ren. And then, the next time he tells you about their plans, it will be a trap and the First Order will fall on us with all its power. Or maybe they just want to get some information from you, where our base is or who our allies are.”

He grumbled some words to himself. And then, as the idea crossed his mind, he turned to her with a worried expression.

“Tell me you didn’t reveal our location to Ren.”

“I did.”

“Stars, Rey!”

“You didn’t tell me that,” intervened Finn, now as upset as Poe.

“What? Have they attacked us? Do you see any First Order ships around? You don’t, do you? They won’t come. Ben won’t hurt us.”

“In fact, he’s hurt the three of us before.”

“He did that because we were his enemies and were on opposing sides. Ben isn’t tricking me. We have a Force Bond, if he lies I can feel it. I told you a hundred times before, Snoke manipulated Ben to make him believe there was no place for him in the Resistance, that the only place where he could be accepted was the First Order. He only needs trust and to be shown we want him here,” said Rey. And then added, simply, as if to argue about the whole thing was useless, “It is not a trap.”

“I still can’t trust him, Rey. You don’t know him like I do. You don’t know what he’s capable of.”

“Of course I know him. And better than you, I think. But it doesn’t matter. What truly matters is that we have an ally in the First Order now, and when he’s ready to come back he’ll need a place to do so. And I’ll need your help me convince our allies to accept him.”

Poe sighed in frustrations and, this time, he stepped away from the desk. He nervously paced around the office, looking for a nice way to say what he wanted to, as if Rey was a little child who wouldn’t listen to reason.

“Rey, you don’t understand. Kylo Ren represents everything we’re fighting against. Even if what you tell me was true, he is the fucking Supreme Leader of the First Order. Do you want me to go out there and tell everyone he has reconsidered his loyalty and now he wants to fight with the Resistance? And what about the things he has done up until now? What about the people who died because of him?”

“I understand that. I know things are not that easy. I’m not delusional. But Ben deserves an opportunity. And I have faith in him.”

“Faith!” Poe grumbled.

“I know this is not the right time to bring him back,” she continued, like she hadn’t heard him. “We have to keep this a secret to protect him and his future come back. But, Poe, you can make things easier, and all I’m asking is for you to do it. The members of the Resistance trust you. Now that Leia’s gone, you are our leader, and she would have wanted this.”

Poe turned around, resting his hands on his hips.

“I can’t believe you are asking me this. Nor that you are guilt tripping me this way.”

“I am not guilt tripping you.”

“Yes, you are! Leia was someone important to me, you know? We fought together for a long time. I appreciated her, Rey. And now you are insinuating that if I don’t get that assassin in our group I will have failed Leia’s memory!”

Sick of the situation and of repeating herself again and again, Rey got out of Potus Pot’s office -where Poe, Finn and her had had the secret meeting- slamming the door and leaving behind her two companions.

She needed to escape. Since arriving from Coruscant she hadn’t had a minute alone to think about what happened. Between meetings, Leia’s funeral, and the news that Chewbacca had found not one but two places to establish the new rebel base, Rey hadn’t enjoyed a moment to herself. And to top it off, that last meeting with Poe made her lose her temper.

That’s why she went straight to the Millennium Falcon, parked not far from the rebel camp, along with a bunch of ships from the new members.

The Wookie was doing maintenance when she arrived.

“Chewie,” she greeted, trying not to show the urgency that was eating at her. “How are you doing?”

He answered with one of his roars.

“Yeah, that’s true. There’s always something wrong with this damn ship. If it isn’t the stabilizer, it’s the shield generator. Listen, can I ask for a favour? If the repairs aren’t that urgent, could I borrow the Falcon to go for a fly? Just for a few hours.”

Chewbacca replied affirmatively, suggesting the ship belonged to the two of them. She had recovered it from Jakku, after all. Besides, Han would have wanted it that way, the Wookie was sure of it.

“Don’t say that. The ship is yours. I just want to borrow it for a while. I can help you with maintenance when I come back.”

Her words were followed by more roars.

“Don’t worry, I won’t go far. And I’ll be careful.”

Chewbacca didn’t object, so Rey boarded the Falcon.

Once at the controls, feeling the tension and the adrenalin of the moment, Rey launched herself into the sky, like a blaster shot, going through the clouds up and down, forcing that piece of garbage to draw flips in the air, recklessly driving along the hills that surrounded the valley where the farm was located.

She got as far away as she could from the farm, and from the city of Sulanate in case some First Order spy recognised her, and lost herself in the inhospitable and steep terrain of Kagurall, which offered a grim landscape under the light of its bloody sun.

Only when the anger turned to sadness and a flood of tears threatened to overwhelm her, did Rey land inside a canyon isolated enough not be found. She left the cockpit and went to the main hold, plopping herself on the bunk in the back.

There, she curled up into a ball and cried.

She wept for Leia. But also for Han and Luke. For her parents, who never loved her and were buried in a pauper’s grave in Jakku, according to Kylo. The realization that she wouldn’t see them ever again filled her with despair and sorrow, and she could do nothing but trying to appease them with her tears.

“Rey.”

She jumped at hearing her name, knowing herself alone in the ship. But when she opened her eyes she found Kylo lying in front of her.

He seemed surprised too, Rey would even venture to say he looked moved at finding her crying. He wasn’t expecting it.

“I’m sorry. I’ll leave you alone.” he said, starting to get up

She took his hand, stopping him.

“No. Stay… Please.”

Kylo didn’t answer. But, after a brief hesitation, he lied down again next to her so their faces were facing each other resting on the same pillow. It looked almost as if that little bunk was instead a big doubled bed they shared somewhere far away in the Galaxy, a place just for the two of them.

After observing each other in silence for what felt like hours, Rey spoke.

“Today… We held the funeral in memory of your mother. There weren’t any remains, but we made a pyre with some of her belongings, some clothes and jewels. I haven’t told anyone, but I took two of her rings to keep them with me.”

She took off a leather cord that hanged tied around her neck and showed him the two jewels.

“I need something that reminds me of her. The other one is for you. I’ll give it to you when we meet again.”

A special gleam appeared in Kylo’s eyes, but he didn’t answer. So she kept talking about the events from the morning.

“Potus Pot and Poe gave a speech. Lieutenant Connix and Chewie said a few words, also. They talked about everything Leia did and her last years as the soul of the Resistance. It was very moving. I didn’t know she was the Crown Princess of Alderaan, before the Empire destroyed the planet. Nor that she stayed in the Senate for so long. I know she probably wasn’t a good mother to you, Ben, but she was a remarkable woman and did great things for the Galaxy. An I feel that they’ve taken her from us. I’ll miss her a lot.”

Kylo’s hand tightened around Rey’s. She squeezed back, lacing her fingers with his. They were warm and she traced his skin, feeling it with her thumbs, soft in some places and rough in others, where not even the gloves could protect it from years of training.

“Someone asked me to say a few words too, in her memory. But I couldn’t. I didn’t know what to say. I failed her, Ben. And I failed you, too. And that’s why she died.”

Tears ran down her cheeks once again. She closed her eyes, as if that could stop them. As if not seeing would make the pain less real. But it didn’t work. The hopelessness remained.

But then he hugged her, bringing their bodies closer until there was no distance between them. She felt a warm sensation envelope her as he did so, like a balsam healing her body and vanishing her endless tears. For a long time she had wondered what it would be like to be surrounded by those big and strong arms. Now she knew. It was like being at home, like finding a place where everything was right.

“It was Hux that killed her,” said Kylo, tightening his hold. “Don’t forget it.”

When he moved away, and now that she knew how it felt being in his arms, she felt like she was missing something. He made up for it by holding her hand again, as if that link would hold their Force meeting.

“I haven’t been able to get close to him yet,” Kylo said, serious. “It’ll be difficult. He’s raised a solid shield around him to protect himself. But I’ll find a crack in it and break it.”

“Did you get back okay? What about Yang Sook?”

“There’s no need to worry. She won’t talk.”

“Are you sure you don’t need me there?”

“I’m sure. But if you want to do something that bad, gather up your companions and go to Chandrillia.”

“To Chandrillia? Why?”

“Because Hux’s preparing an attack. First Chandrillia, then Corellia. Now that we are close to ruling Coruscant, those two Core planets are part of the few still resisting.”

Rey sat up slightly on the mattress, leaning on her elbows, forgetting about her sadness for a moment.

“When?” she asked, urgently.

“Chandrillia in three days. Corellia once Chandrillia falls.”

“Are you going?”

“If you go.”

“I don’t need your protection.”

“Yes, you do.”

Rey remembered something Poe mentioned during the meeting and she couldn’t help but ask.

“Is it true that you were commanding the attack against the Republican Senators, back in Coruscant?”

“Yes” answered Kylo, no doubt in his tone. “It was the only way to get Leia and you out.”

“A lot of people died. And many others will fall into the hands of the First Order now. It will spread fear and panic.”

“Perhaps the war will end sooner this way and people will stop dying.”

“You don’t even believe that” Rey blurted out.

She sat up fully on the mattress, her head grazing the arc above the Falcon’s bunk.

She wanted to stand up; to warn the others because every second was important, she told herself. Or maybe because she was angry at herself, despite everything, she couldn’t be angry at Kylo. But that wasn’t entirely true, she was, in fact, angry. And she was also frustrated because he was still trapped in Snoke’s claws, in the Dark Side and in the First Order. An even though some things had started to change, some others would take longer.

He was still lying in bed next to her, with a relaxed demeanour, as if he was about to fall asleep. He hadn’t let go off her hand. In fact, Rey didn’t want him to let go, she wanted him to hold it forever.

“I’ve been calling you through the Force” said Kylo calmly, demanding her attention.

She observed him carefully, enjoying his presence and forgetting everything else.

“I was busy.”

“I know. I saw you with the rebels. But you didn’t see me. Did you tell them what happened?”

“Only Poe.”

He made a strangled noise.

“What?” she wanted to know.

“He is a jerk.”

“He’ll help us.”

“He won’t.”

“In fact, he already did.”

“I don’t want to talk about him.”

“Ben.”

“Hm?”

Rey bent forward closing the distance between them and touching her lips to his. She gave him a soft, almost lazy kiss.

He reacted surprised at first, but then he kissed her back longingly and inexperienced. He put his hand on the back of her head and draw her mouth to his, kissing her son intensely it looked like he wanted to eat her. He was like a fish out of water, and she, the oxygen he needed to breath.

When they parted, Rey smiled, between nervous and amused.

“Was that your first kiss?”

“No. But Temple games don’t count as proper kissing. Besides, it’s been so long it feels like another life. Yours?”

“Neither.”

“Finn?”

“What? No. NO. Finn’s my friend!”

“Friends don’t care about each other that way.”

“You think so because you haven’t had any real friends, Ben” she said. Quickly she realized her words were too harsh. “I’m so sorry. I just…”

“I get it.”

“I just wanted you to understand that people can love each other without any hidden agenda. Finn loves me and I love him, not because we like each other that way, but because we care. I won’t get into bed with him, we don’t have those kind of feelings.”

“And the one you kissed first, did you love them that way?

Rey’s gaze shadowed for a moment. She looked away, transported to a far off place he couldn’t reach.

“Her name was Aiko,” she explained. “She was a scavenger like me and she taught me everything I know. We spent a lot of time together, looking for pieces inside the Empire Star Destroyers. Many scavengers were afraid of going inside the ships because they said they were cursed, but Aiko didn’t fear anything. We always found the best material and everybody envied us.”

“What happened to her?”

“She stole a ship and left Jakku.”

“You didn’t go with her?”

“I couldn’t.”

Kylo understood.

“You were waiting for you parents.”

She nodded.

“I asked her to stay with me, but she said she couldn’t. So we had to say goodbye.   She abandoned me.”

This time it was him that kissed her. He did better, first caressing her gently with his lips and then tangling his tongue with hers, their teeth crashing a couple of times. Meanwhile, he guided her with his hand and laid her down on the mattress.

Rey would have loved to live forever in that kiss. For eternity. She was sure she would have never tired of it.

But after a while, he separated, slowly, staying close to watch her. He whispered her name and then he laid onto her, punting his head on her chest.

“I told you, you are not alone,” he mumbled.

Rey shivered.

She closed her eyes and hugged him, feeling his weight on her, nice and warm. And when she opened them again, Kylo wasn’t there anymore.

 


	17. A secret mission

# 17\. A secret mission

 

Nightmares ruled Kylo’s nights since he was a kid. As long as he could remember, they had been a battle against Dark Forces that chased him, whispering awful things in his ear. He couldn’t remember a full night’s sleep.

That’s why he was surprised at having fallen asleep beside Rey. He hadn’t even realized, he’d closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them again, she was gone.

And somebody was now at his door, urgently knocking at it.

He sat up on the bed, feeling dizzy. The pounding hadn’t stopped and it could only be one of his Knights, bringing him urgent news. No one else would dare to interrupt his rest in that manner.

So he ordered them to come in and when the door opened, Tioka was waiting at the threshold.

“The strategy briefing will star soon, sir. General Hux insisted we informed you,” she apologized.

Kylo frowned. He had decided to rest for a few hours before the meeting, but it hadn’t been so long, had it? How long had it been? He searched for a screen to check it and when he discovered it’d been more than eight hours, he felt his stomach drop. How had that happen?

But he had no time to think about it. He dismissed Tioka with the message that he’d soon join the meeting, and got out of bed to get ready.

 

“It isn’t too late to avoid an unnecessary bloodshed, Governor” Kylo said disdainfully. He had tried everything possible to convince his interlocutor.

But words had no effect.

“We will never recognize the First Order as a legitimate government of the Galaxy” replied the holographic figure of Chandrillia’s governor, an elderly human wearing a typical chandrillian tunic. “We prefer to die defending what is right.”

And then he vanished, like he’d never been there.

Kylo grimaced.

After the first strategy meeting with the commanders in charge, the Supreme Leader thought he could prevent the battle by convincing Chandrillia to surrender peacefully. That was the reason that brought him to arrange an interview with the Governor which Hux hadn’t approved but accepted because the one proposing it was Kylo Ren himself.

The Interview had been a disaster and now Kylo faced a battle he didn’t want to fight.

Now he regretted telling Rey the next objective of the First Order, he didn’t know how he’d be able to protect her. It wouldn’t be credible for him to join the fight; likewise, he couldn’t do it in disguise. If Hux discovered it, that would be the prove he needed to accuse him of treason.

And then there was something else, something he wouldn’t confess to anyone, that which made the very idea of destroying the enemy planet repulsive to him. Part of him still associated Chandrillia with a happy childhood, before his parents started to fear him and fianlly got rid of him. He didn’t want to see it destroyed or besmirched. If he lost Chandrillia, there would be nothing left of little Ben Solo.

“Well, you heard him, gentlemen,” Hux said eagerly. “No surrender. Prepare the fleet. I’ll move into the _Hammer_ to command the attack.”

But before anyone could answer or make a move, Kylo added.

“Don’t bother, General. You can stay here. I’m going to personally oversee the attack myself. The _Intimidator_ will set a course for Chandrillia too.”

Hux turned to him, looking as if he had seen a ghost.

“Your Excellency, it’s only a minor campaign. There’s no need to…”

“Do you presume to give me orders, General? I decide which campaigns deserve my attention. Perhaps Chandrillia has no remarkable military power, but it’s an important milestone in the war. I want to be there when it falls.”

Hux didn’t answered but he sent him a furious gaze. He could not object to the Supreme Leader wishes because all he’d said made sense. No one would suspect Kylo Ren for wanting to see the fall of Chandrillia with his own eyes. On the contrary, it was normal.

“On the other hand,” Kylo added “I want Yang Sook Mi to join the fight as my right hand.”

Hux’ look darkened even more.

“With due respect, sir, we already have a commander who’s planned our strategy. Besides, Yang Sook Mi is wounded.”

“Don’t worry about her health, she’ll be fine. Besides, your tactics won’t be affected, General, she won’t command the attack. Yang Sook Mi will act freely, assisting the ones who need it. She will be under my direct command. I want her to be my eyes on the battle.”

“I see no need for it.”

“The only need you must see is my own, is it clear?”

“As you wish,” Hux spat out the words.

Only when the rest of the personel had abandoned the room and they were the only ones left, Hux poured out the rage he had been holding on.

“I don’t know what you are playing at, Ren, but I don’t like it.”

Kylo got up from his chair, calmly, ignoring the other man as he approached the door. But just as he was about to exit, he turned to him, like he had remembered something. A shiny black table stood between them, reflecting the lights of the room.

“Play your cards right, Hux, because the only thing that’s keeping you alive is my need of you.”

Hux laughed out loud. He seemed comfident. Kylo knew he was.

“Take your own advice, Ren. You are a two-bit leader and soon everybody will realize it. And then, not even the Force will save you.”

A chair slamming against the wall made Hux jump. Wild-eyed, the General looked back to the point of the impact, very close to him. When he recovered from the shock, prepared to resume the confrontation, he turned around to see Kylo had already left.

 

Kylo hadn’t got used to the courtroom he’d been granted exclusively to give audience. He didn’t think he ever would.

It wasn’t its aesthetic. The audience chamber looked like any other First Order battleship room: vast, empty and dark, walls covered in black and two big windows showing now nothing more than the eternal night sky. The only furniture was his seat. Some kept calling it the Throne Room, because Snoke always did, but Kylo found the name false and empty. Not just because that courtroom had nothing to do with the one his former master used, but rather because he himself didn’t feel like a leader ruling from his throne.

In fact, the worse thing of the chamber was the feeling that came along with it. He felt out of place. He felt like a fraud.

Hux was right when he’d called him a two-bit leader. Truth be told, he didn’t care much about Galaxy’s destiny. He hadn’t joined the First Order for its ideals, but because it felt like the only place he could be himself without the fear of being rejected.

The rest had come by itself.

He still remembered those early days when Snoke trusted him and showed him the ways of the Dark Side. Feeling valued and accepted, like he mattered, and that there was nothing wrong in having all that Darkness inside him had been the only things that helped him keep going.

But then everything fell apart. He couldn’t mark the exact moment, but at some point he couldn’t reach Snoke’s expectations. It didn’t matter how much he tried, it was never enough. No matter how many battles he won, how much his skills improved, how much his heart darkened, Snoke stopped recognizing his worth.

And Kylo felt orphaned again.

What happened in the _Supremacy_ ’s Throne Room was motivated by Rey, if she hadn’t been in danger he wouldn’t have had the courage to do what he did. However, the seed had been planted before. Kylo had long been wanting to kill Snoke to save himself, to get revenge on him.

Not to take his place.

But it didn’t work out the way he hoped. And now he was carrying a burden he didn’t want. One he couldn’t get rid of, because he had no place to go and Hux wouldn’t allow it.

What choice had he left? What else could he do?

Someone knocked on the door returning him to reality. It was Marudd.

Ikki and him were guarding the courtroom’s door. His Knights took turns so that at least two of them were always ready and by his side.

“Sir, Yang Sook’s here,” the Knight informed.

“Send her in.”

The nautolan woman entered the room and approached the throne. She wasn’t in her uniform, although judging by her black clothes she’d probably had been training. She looked good even though only a few days had passed since Rey wounded her.

“Yang Sook,” he granted.

“Master.”

“How are you?”

“I’m doing better.”

“Good, because I need you to do something for me.”

Kylo got up from his seat and approached her, he felt ridiculous talking to her from that distance. Besides, what he was about to tell her was a personal matter. The chamber’s door had been closed behind Marudd leaving them completely alone, but one couldn’t be too careful.

“The attack against Chandrillia is starting in a couple of days, as arranged by Hux. I sense the rebels will be there too and I need you to protect Rey. You will become part of the squad in charge of destroying the planet’s defence. You’ll support them with anything they need, but you won’t be in the chain of command. Your true mission will be to find Rey and ensure her safety. You have to be effective and discreet. Can you do that?”

“My wound doesn’t stop me from piloting. I can do it.”

“Excellent. Then go and prepare. We’ll talk again in two days.”

Yang Sook nodded, turning on her heels. She didn’t go much further before she stopped and glanced over her shoulder.

“Master,” she said, hesitantly at first, then more decisively “I know I’m no one to tell you this, but bonds are a weakness. Somebody could use them against you.”

Kylo looked at her intently before he answered, with a light smile. “

“I know. And that’s why I’m asking you to take charge of this mission. You are the only one I can trust, Yang Sook.”

She smiled too.

“I won’t let you down, Master.”

 

 


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm very sorry for not updating the story last week, but I was really busy. Although the story is already finished, to translate it takes a lot of time. I promise I'll try to keep the publication date on Mondays/Tuesdays.  
> For today's chapter, we go into the fight! I hope you all enjoy it.
> 
> Thanks for reading and giving kudos <3

# 18\. Chandrillia

 

Space looked a lot quieter the moment just before a battle.

Rey scanned the vast infinite stretching out before her and the only thing she could see in its horizon was the sun illuminating the planet of Chandrillia. But she wasn’t alone; they weren’t alone. Behind the Millennium Falcon, an immense rebel fleet waited impatiently for the First Order’s arrival.

She was quite surprised. She would never have imagined that the rebels could organize such a fleet in only two days. It was almost like a miracle. As was Poe and Finn believing her when she got to them with the news about the incoming attack. None of them questioned her words. Poe asked her a couple of times if she was sure about the whole thing not being a trap, but that was all. He jumped head first when the moment came.

Setting asides those thoughts the girl glanced at the radar, where the three hundred ships appeared as blinking lights. She knew some of them from Kagurall. And some other belonged to the people and creatures Poe met during his recruiting tasks, which had stayed in their own planets waiting for new orders. None of them hesitated to join the battle.

But, in addition, as word spread many others from the whole Galaxy had offered their vessels. Some of them were the allies that left Leia in the lurch on Crait, and that now had reconsidered their position.

Even Maz Kanata sent a bunch of her acquaintances. Wa’Mung, was one of them. The burg had made big money with spice smuggling, but after the fall of the Empire he’d redirected his economic activities to the sustainable development of decadent worlds, which had brought many benefits to him. He was in command of his personal Star Destroyer, the Lavender, a ship of outrageous dimensions with nothing to envy the First Order Star Destroyers.

With such a vessel in their fleet there was nothing to worry about.

“Rey, don’t hold it against me, but I need to say this one last time: I hope this isn’t a trap.”

Poe’s voice through the headset returned Rey to reality. She rolled her eyes and was about to cut him with a witty retort, but Chewbacca got to him first.

“Ok, that wasn’t funny at all,” answered Poe to the wookie jab.

“Actually, it was,” Rey laughed and soon added “Thanks, Chewie.”

The silhouette of a First Order Star Destroyer appeared in the night, clipped against the Chandrillia’s sun, and stopping all conversation. It wasn’t the only one, another Star Destroyer arrived behind it, as well as a small fleet of TIE Fighters.

“They’re here!” yelled Poe through the rebel ships communication system. “Everyone to your posts! Red Squad: attract the attention of the TIEs and protect the rest of us and Chandrillia. Blue Squad and Gold Squad: your job is to take control of those Star Destroyers. The Lavender, the Iridscent Light and the Khzzk will remain on standby, in case the boarding fails and we have to destroy those enemy ships. May the force be with you!”

And with those customary words, the battle started.  

Rey grabbed the Falcon’s controls, feeling the rush of adrenaline seize her. Risk aside, nothing made her happier than being in control of a ship during a battle like this one.

“Chewie,” she commanded. “Redirect the shields to the front.”

The Wookie nodded.

“And switch on the turbo-propellers. Check if the front canyons are operational and ready to fire.” After those verifications, she added, through the communicator “Finn, Rose, everything ready back there?”

“Ready when you are!” Finn answered from the gunner’s position.

“Same here” said Rose, from the main hold where she managed the strategy along BB-8.

“What are we waiting for, then?”

The moment fire started crossing the battlefield the Falcon launched against their enemies, spiralling. They were part of the Red Squad, a team of starfighters and small size freighters equipped for battle. Some of them weren’t as powerful and well-fitted as the First Order’s TIE, but its pilots were ready to give it all in the fight. 

The first two enemies approached them and Rey dodged them moving the ship up and then right, turning the ship on itself to get a good firing angle.

“Finn, on your left!”

“I see them!”

The Falcon’s inferior canon fired on the TIEs. One of the shots hit its mark, making it blow up, but the other managed to avoid them corrected its trajectory to face the Falcon again. Now the Starfighter got them on its sight. A ship of that size probably couldn’t destroy them, but it could cause significant damage.  

Rey didn’t have room to manoeuvre. Until the Falcon finished its spin and she could correct the course, they were at the TIE’s mercy. They would have to take the risk and cross their fingers not to receive any serious damage.

However, by a quirk of fate, another TIE -engaged in its own battle with a resistance ship- crossed the airspace of the one that was about to shoot them, destabilizing it and giving Rey enough time to finally correct the course and grant Finn a good shot. Like the other TIE they’d taken dawn, it lighted up the night and spread plastic and shrapnel through the vacuum of space.

Chewbacca howled from his place at the co-pilot seat, joyfully raising his arms.

“Yes, I know. We’ve been very lucky,” said Rey.

However, deep down, she wasn’t sure it’d been only a _matter of luck_. Something in the way the second TIE had approached the first wasn’t just coincidence…

But she didn’t give it much thought. Maybe it had been really good fortune, after all. Or just the Force, who knows. It was useless to worry about it now, she had to focus on the fight.

“Rose, what’s the situation?”

“It seems that Red Five and Red Six are having some trouble. Forwarding you the coordinates.”

“I’ve got them. There we go!”

The Falcon flew between friends and enemies, dodging the blaster shots crossing the battlefield, the wreckage from the fallen and their allies’ paths. But when they reached their destination, Red Five had already fallen.

She clicked her tongue.

They were outnumbered by the enemy, but Rey wasn’t intimidated that easily. She felt the Falcon like an extension of herself, making flying as easy as breathing. She spun in circles, getting three TIE Fighters down with Finn’s help, while Red Six did the same with the other two enemies.

She’d thought the mission concluded, but then the Force warned her of an incoming danger.

Rey scanned the horizon and discovered they had missed an enemy ship, and it wasn’t going to miss its opportunity. The fighter was in front of them, pointing its canons right at the cockpit.  

Chewbacca groaned.

Rey swallowed hard.

But before the girl could do anything, the Starfighter blew up in a burst.

“Red Six, was that you?” she asked, suspicious.

“No, ma’am. Shot came from behind. A lost projectile, maybe! We’re in luck, it saved our asses!”

This time, Rey was completely sure it hadn’t been a matter of luck. Someone among the enemy was helping them. And that could only mean one thing.

She felt it, the Force. It covered her like a wave and everything became silent. And when she looked over her shoulder, she saw him. Kylo was standing right behind her. Their eyes met for a moment.

Rey didn’t say anything and focused again on the empty space in front of her. She had to concentrate, she was at the Falcon’s commands, in the midst of battle. Besides, something told her he wasn’t alone either. He’d also remained silent, still, probably playing his role of Supreme Leader.

 _Why is the Force connecting us now?_ she wondered.

It wasn’t the time.

Lasers shots and explosions crossed space wherever she looked. Part of the Gold Squad had reached its target and prepared to board the Star Destroyer. The Blue Squad was still fighting to reach their own target. They didn’t have it as easy as their companions, and Rey somehow knew they wouldn’t make it. The Supreme Leader himself was inside that Destroyer, his troops wouldn’t let him fall.

A new detonation confirmed her suspicions.

“Poe,” she said through the communicator. “We should give up this boarding strategy and focus on pushing the First Order out of Chandrillia. If we use the Lavender weapons we can drive them out.”

“No, Rey. Try to think in the long term. If we get those Star Destroyers we can reverse roles. And we are going to send a very clear message: we’re not giving up. Blue and Gold Squad are almost done. Trust them.”

“But a lot of people is dying. People that won’t come back. A ship isn’t worth as much as those lives! There must be another way to win this war!”

“We’ll talk about this after the battle!”

“Then I’m going to help them. I will not stand by and watch them being crushed.”

“Rey don’t! Your mission is to focus on the TIEs! We can’t let them get any closer. Protecting Chandrillia is our main goal!”

“And what can a bunch of Starfighters do to a planet like this? We shot down half of them! The ships at the rearguard can take care of the rest!”

“Listen to me, Rey. Chandrillia has no ground forces. If the First Order gets there they’ll probably…!”

Rey wasn’t listening to him anymore. A voice behind her caught her attention and she removed her headset.

“General Hux, your strategy isn’t working and I’m beginning to lose my patience.”

It was Kylo, talking to somebody Rey couldn’t see. There was a pause and then he spoke again.

“Yang Sook Mi will lead the incursion. Access the planet from the south quadrant, it isn’t guarded. I want the squad to take over the local government and force the leaders to an unconditional surrender. The rebels can’t do anything if the governor himself is the one handing over the planet. Search for his family, threaten them in front of him. Do whatever you need to.”

“What?” exclaimed Rey, furious, turning to him without caring that her companions could hear her. “Don’t even think about doing that!”

Chewbacca growled in concern, worried that he had done something wrong. But Rey ignored him, focused on Kylo.

The man was still looking at her, a mask of indifference on his face, while talking to the people around him that Rey couldn’t see. “If that doesn’t work, destroy Hanna City. Show them what happens if you disobey the First Order.”

Rey suppressed the intense desire of jumping from the pilot’s seat and throw herself on Kylo, staff in hand. Where was the man who comforted her a few days ago? Could Poe be right when he suggested that everything was just a trap?

But then she understood that Kylo was saying those things because she was listening. He wasn’t betraying her but guiding her. Rey wasn’t sure if he was trying to help her or just get her away from the fight, it could very well be both at the same time. She knew Kylo was still fixated on protecting her and the fact that a TIE fighter had helped them twice was proof of that.

It deeply bothered her that Kylo was able to manipulate her and force her away from the battle when she didn’t want to leave. But she couldn’t do much about it at the moment. Chandrillia needed her, and someone had to take care of those Starfighters heading towards Hanna City. She could do it.

She and Kylo shared one last glance, one that didn’t say anything but at the same time meant a lot. Then, Rey looked straight ahead once more, putting on her headset.

“Change of plan, guys,” she said through the communicator. “A hunting party is heading towards the planet. We take care of them.”


	19. Reunion

# 19\. Reunion

 

Yang Sook Mi knew enemies followed her closely and it wouldn’t take long before they reached her. But she didn’t care.

In fact, that was the plan.

She accelerated and the TIE dropped into Chandrillia’s atmosphere, followed by five Starfighters flying under her command. It wasn’t a large detachment, but the success of the attack was not their priority. Chandrillia didn’t matter as long as Rey of Jakku was safe.

Or at least, those were the orders her master gave her before she left.

Yang Sook wasn’t happy with the task. Not just because of the hatred she harboured for the scavenger, which grew stronger after their fight in Coruscant, but because the connexion the scavenger and Kylo Ren shared was becoming something very dangerous for him.

The Supreme Leader didn’t realize it, but he had reached a point where he didn’t seem to mind losing a battle if that meant saving the girl’s life. Yang Sook knew that would eventually bring discredit and dishonour to him. If the First Order started to suffer defeat after defeat under his command and lose all the progress made, sooner or later the Army would turn its back on him.

And she wasn’t willing to accept it. She knew how much Kylo Ren had fought to reach the top and how much he had left behind to do it. She wouldn’t let him threw away all that effort. Even if that meant to go behind his back.

She located Hanna City in the radar, placed next to the Silver Sea, and charted a path. Once, the city had housed a military academy, but it stopped working years ago when the seat of the Galactic Senate changed to Hosnian Prime. Now the capital of Chandrillia was a peaceful spot where its people made a living out of the commerce.

However, some Starfighters came out to meet them when they arrived: old ships deteriorated by the years, provably relics from the Clone Wars. Yang Sook’s experienced escort shot them down easily. Although the attack wasn’t their first priority she took with her the best pilots of the First Order. It became clear when the enemy ships began falling one by one over the city.

Once they got rid of them, they found the House of the Senate and landed on the roof, to go down into it.

 

As she advanced through the corridors, defeating the few soldiers that came out to meet her, Yang Sook wondered why a planet like Chandrillia, once so important, had so little defensive measures. She knew times had changed and the planet wasn’t what it used to, but it still was an emblematic place, an important point in the route between planets.

Maybe there was no one left to help them, except the ships fighting in space, and General Hux’s reports weren’t exaggerating when forecasting that the First Order was really close to achieve the control of the whole Galaxy.

Under those circumstances, to successfully complete the mission seemed possible, even likely, despite the size of the group Yang Sook commanded, formed by only five soldiers.

Before they could reach the main room, where the heads of state hid themselves, a disturbance in the Force warned her that the Millennium Falcon had landed on the roof.

Perhaps her long-awaited victory wasn’t as close as she thought it was.

The Knight stopped halfway through the corridor, alert.

“What wrong, Commander?” asked one of the pilots, stopping too and turning to her.

“The rebels have arrived,” she explained, focusing at the same time on the sensations the Force was transmitting to her. “I must handle this matter personally. Commander Huizz, I’m leaving you in charge. Stick to the mission, and inform General Hux when you find the planet leaders. I’ll meet you when I’ve taken care of them.”

“Yes, ma’am!” exclaimed the five of them, before resuming their path through the corridor.

 

Yang Sook Mi searched for them long, but it wasn’t until she reached the top floor that she found them.

When her eyes met the Last Jedi’s, Yang Sook felt the burning of the scar still fresh in her belly. The same man that was with Rey in Coruscant, the one she’d tried to kill unsuccessfully, stood by her side along with another human woman and a droid.

Rey unhooked her saber-staff and switched it on, taking a defensive stand to protect her companions.

“Finn, Rose, BB-8,” she ordered. “Find another way in and take care of the rest of the soldiers. I’ll deal with her.”

For a moment, the man hesitated. Yang Sook wondered if he would be dumb enough to stay, considering what happened to him the last time. But when the other woman grabbed him, he moved away and the two of them and the droid turned around to lose themselves in the corridors of the House of the Senate.

Yang Sook saw them leaving, but she didn’t try to stop them. Her mission had only one goal.

“It seems our paths meet again, Rey of Jakku.”

“And will continue to do so until the First Order stops bullying the Galaxy.”

Yang Sook smirked inside her mask, even though gesture went unseen by her enemy. The girl looked like a curios mix of madness and kindness. One of those flowers that wither when they discover the horror of the world. She even felt sorry for her.

The Nautolan knew her orders: she had to protect the girl. But she was also aware that doing so would not solve the problem. If that revolutionary Jedi girl, with her head full of nonsense, continued leading the rebellion the war would never end. Snoke was right about the Jedi being a plague that only brought destruction.

And, because of that, the right thing to do was kill her, no mattered what Ben said. It was the best thing for everyone. Even for him.

Yang Sook wielded her lightsaber…

…but she didn’t switch it on.

Because that wasn’t the right moment. Her injury was recent and Rey was much stronger than her. If she wanted to face her -and, more important, to win- she needed to be one hundred per cent recovered. And she needed a plan.

One that she would star plotting at that very moment.

“I didn’t come to confront you,” she told the rebel.

Rey frowned. Yang Sook Mi soon added: “Are you that foolish to think that a group of six people would take a whole planet? You’ve fallen right into his trap.”

“What trap?”

“Kylo Ren’s. He wanted to get you away from the battle.”

The revelation startled her and Yang Sook took due note of it.

“It was you! You are the one that’s been protecting us up there!”

“You finally figured it out. Not very smart for the Last Jedi. Perhaps we should call you the Last Padawan, instead. You clearly need someone to show you how to control all that impulsivity. It will be your undoing, Rey of Jakku.”

“I don’t need a babysitter, so get out of here.”

“You don’t give me orders. If I’m here is for my master, not you. In fact, you would be dead right now, if not for him.”

“That’s not true. And you know it.”

“Do I?”

A decorative object popped off from the windowsill where it was placed, and flew towards Rey. The girl had just enough time to lift her arm to protect herself. Then, Yang Sook switched on her lightsaber, and holding it above her head she jumped on the rebel. She didn’t stab her, but placed the green blade close to the young woman’s cheek.

Rey would surely had stopped the hit if it had been mortal, but it served as warning.

Yang Sook did a flourish with the sword, before switching it off.

“I told you before, I’m not going to kill you. But I’ll give you some advice: if you value your life, stay away from Kylo Ren.”

 


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> I am terribly sorry for not posting the last two weeks, but me and my co-translator Ranchel were really busy. You know how hard life is XD I hope you enjoy the chapter and thank you so much for all the kudos you’ve been giving to the story, I appreciate it.  
> The next chapters will be a little frustrating, because our favorite couple will have a fight and then remain separate for a while. It was inevitable, they are so stubborn! But I ask you to be a little patient, because they will eventually make up, and it will be lovely. I promise.  
> Remember that comments are welcome!
> 
> See you next week!

# 20\. Hanna City

 

Finn, Rose and BB-8 had taken care of the party of First Order soldiers when Rey arrived to the main room of the House of the Senate

“Rey!” The young man practically jumped on her when she came in. “You all right?”

“Yes, yes, I’m fine. But Yang Sook Mi escaped.” She wanted to tell him the details of her encounter with the Knight, but the room was way too crowded. “And you? Are you all right?”

“Yup. We helped the chandrillian soldiers. They were laying an ambush for the enemy.” He pointed to the armed group that guarded the surviving assailants. “The chandrillian forces had some casualties, but it seems the politicians and civilians are safe.”

Right then an elderly white man, wearing a light salmon-coloured robe, approached.

“Welcome,” he greeted Rey, while taking her hand and curtsying. “I am the Governor of Chandrillia. My name is Aran. You must be the Jedi we heard so much about. We are very grateful for what you have done for us.”

“Call me Rey, please. And don’t thank me, sir. Lots of people are fighting this battle.”

“That’s true. We can never be thankful enough to the rebel fleet for what they’ve done today.”

“Speaking of which, Governor Aran, do you know how things are going up there?”

“I’m afraid not. We’ve been isolated in the House of the Senate. It’s been a while since we could make contact with General Poe or any of our soldiers in the battlefield. I suppose our communications have been manipulated.”

“Let’s call Chewie,” suggested Finn. “I’m sure he can get in touch from the Falcon.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Rey nodded, taking out her communicator to contact her co-pilot who had remained on the ship. “Chewie, is everything ok?”

The Wookie answered positively and then asked about them.

“We are good too. The enemy has been captured and it seems there aren’t many casualties. Did you talk to Poe? Do you know how’s the battle going up there?”

A series of squawks and growls emerged from the device. The look on Rey’s face changed as she listened to them, her eyes widening before the corners of her mouth turned up into a smile. She turned to Finn and Aran when Chewbacca finished talking.

“The First Order is retreating!”

All the present, who had followed the call with interest, broke into thunderous applause.

“One of the Star Destroyers jumped to hyperspace before the Gold Squad could board them,” said Rey, turning to address the whole room. “And the other followed shortly after, when Wa’Mung’s Lavender launched a counter-offensive. Our people is taking care of the TIE fighters left behind.”

“These are extraordinary news” said Governor Aran. “We’ve beaten them!”

 

Faced with the Governor’s insistance, the rebel fleet settled in the city to refuel and replenish supplies, as well as rest after a tough battle.

While the rest of the Resistance enjoyed the dinner that the Chandrillians had prepared in their honour, Governor Aran had arranged a private meeting with the rebel leadership to debrief and address what their next steps would be. That’s why Rey, Chewbacca, Finn and Poe Dameron found themselves in the Governor’s office along with him and his second-in-command, a blue skinned Pantoran called Cho Kizzi.

“We are deeply grateful for what you’ve done today.” The Governor had expressed his gratitude before, but he wanted to do it once more. “If it wasn’t for your help, we couldn’t have faced this attack.”

“No need to thank us,” replied Poe. “We’re all in this fight. We must help each other to stop the power of the First Order from growing.”

“How did you find out about the attack, General Poe?” Cho Kizzi seemed interested.

“We had a tip-off. But I can’t talk about our informants. You know how delicate these matters are. We want to protect their identities.”

“Yes, yes. I understand perfectly.”

“What are you going to do now?” Finn asked the Governor.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean about security. We can’t stay here forever to protect the planet. The war continues and other places need our help.”

“Yes, we are perfectly aware of it. However, Chandillia has no army and most of the last members of our defence forces fell in the last battles. We asked the Republican Army for help, but they are short of people. We find ourselves in a serious position. I suppose that, if that’s the case, we will have to ask for your help once more.”

Then, to everyone’s surprise, Chewbacca said something in his language.

“May I ask what is he saying?” the Governor wanted to know, after listening to the grunts of the Wookie. “You’ll have to excuse me, but I don’t speak shyriiwook.”

Before anyone could answer him, a gaping Rey turned to Chewbaca.

“Chewie!” the girl said, unable to believe what she just heard.

The Wookie tried to calm her with some more words.

“But… you can’t do that,” she said, sadly. “Who is going to be my co-pilot?”

Chewbacca approached Rey and put one of those huge and furry hands on her shoulder, a gesture that, despite its roughness, sought to comfort her. He spoke to her as an equal.

“Yes, you are right,” she understood, feeling a little down. She promptly recovered, adding “But, please, make it something temporal, okay? We need you. I need you. And remember, the Falcon is yours. I’m just borrowing it.”

He nodded, growling, and she picked that moment to turn to the others and explain what they’ve decided: “Chewie will stay in Chandrillia for a while. He offers to take a group of apprentices under his wing and teach them military strategy and pilotage. He also says that Chandrillia should make and economic effort to get some weapons and efficient spaceships if you want to develop an army able to protect the planet.”

Governor Aran was really pleased with the news.

“There is nothing that makes me happier, Captain Chewbacca!” he said, approaching the Wookie. “We haven’t had the pleasure of meeting in person, but I’ve heard so much about you. Mon Mothma told me about your exploits against the Empire. We could re-open the for-long-time closed military academy. And even though we don’t have much time, we can prepare ourselves a little better to face the First Order. What do you think, miss Kizzi?”

“I think that’s a splendid idea, Governor. As long as the Resistance approves it.”

“I don’t like the idea of letting you behind, Chewbacca, seeing as you are an irreplaceable asset,” said Poe. “But I know you’ll do a great job. You have my full support.”

“I can agree on that,” smiled Rey.

“Also, to re-open the academy would be beneficial for us all. A lot of people have joined the Resistance these past weeks, but many of them are untrained. It will make a major change if we get some formed soldiers.”

“This new pact deserves a great celebration. How about we join the dinner party now that we have solved the more immediate problems? We can continue on the other issues tomorrow, more relaxed. I’m sure all of you are tired after the battle and need a break.”

 

Given that there wasn’t much time to prepare something sophisticated, the citizens of Hanna City themselves had prepared the dinner party in honour of the rebels.

Rows of different-styled tables, arranged with multicolour tablecloths, were covered with food and drinks. The same coloured paper garlands used in the local festivities decorated the place and everybody had made and brought some food from their own homes. An improvised band livened up the evening with cheerful music to which those who had kept their good spirits and strength after the battle danced.

Despite the friendly atmosphere of the clear night, Rey wasn’t in a party mood. The way the fight had developed, Poe’s insistence, Kylo’s tactics and also her encounter with Yang Sook Mi worried her. She couldn’t get those thoughts out of her head.

“Drink.”

“And eat.”

Those well-known voices pulled her back to reality. She turned to meet Rose and Finn, who were handing out to her a glass full of a tan liquid and a plate full of food. There was something similar to a cake that, even though Rey couldn’t guess what it had inside, it delicious, two pieces of roast beef and a bunch of light blue fruits.

She couldn’t resist the offer. Her stomach was, in fact, grumbling.

First she took the drink and then hungrily devoured the food. She couldn’t remember a meal as delicious as this one, not even in Kagurall where she had tasted incredible dishes. All this new foods made leaving Jakku definitely worth it.

“You should be happier, you know,” Finn softly scolded her as the three of them enjoyed the dinner. “It’s all thanks to you. All these people would had become slaves of the First Order if not for you.”

“Finn’s right,” Rose added. “Anyway, you were amazing up there. And down here. It was pretty impressive to see you piloting the Falcon. And also the way you faced that Knight, I can’t believe I’ve seen it with my own eyes. I’m so excited!”

Rey tried to smile but her mouth was full. She swallowed and thanked her friends for the compliments.

“But I couldn’t have done it without you, guys. You are the best and we make a great team.”

“We definitely agree on that!”

“I’m sorry that I’m not in the mood, really. It’s been a long day and a difficult battle,” Rey left the empty plate on the table. “I guess I need some rest.”

Her friends looked a little down but still smiled at her.

“Sure. Don’t worry. We understand.”

“I’ll be in the Falcon if you need me, okay?”

“And we’ll be right here. You know you can count on us.”

“I know. Enjoy the party for me.”

And with that Rey walked away, back into the crowd, saying goodbye with a slight wave of her hand

 

They had been offered accommodation in Chandrilia, but the only place where Rey felt like home was the Falcon. Actually, she didn’t need to rest, she just wanted to be alone. And she knew she wouldn’t find the peace she needed to meditate and think in the party.

Before she could get far from the crowd gathered in the town’s square, in front of the House of the Senate, Poe Dameron called her. She turned around and saw him emerging from the multitude, approaching her.

“I owe you an apology,” he said, when he reached her. “I should have trusted you from the beginning.”

“Right. But it could have gone wrong the same way it worked out. And in that case, you would be blaming me right now, saying ‘I told you’.”

He smiled.

“Yeah, you are right.”

“Anyway, Poe, I’m not the one you have to apologise to. It’s the rest of the Resistance.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about all those unnecessary losses.”

The smile that adorned Poe’s face a moment ago vanished in a flash.

“They weren’t unnecessary. There are always losses, Rey. We’re at war.”

“They were totally unnecessary. Boarding that Star Destroyer was suicide and you know that as well as I do.”

“But we need those ships if we want to win! Our resources are very limited. Didn’t you listen to what Governor Aran said? We are in the minority everywhere. We need to find a way to turn this war around!”

“Well, pardon me for saying this, but this is not the way we’ll do it.”

“You don’t have military formation. You’re not the one to talk to about this.”

“That’s right, I don’t have it. But I have common sense. And I’ve seen enough of this war to know that General Organa was right when she said that our mission is not only to win battles but to convince the Galaxy. People dying for a lost cause won’t convince anyone. And to have more weapons than the First Order won’t help us either, Poe. The only way is showing them a different way of doing things.”

“And what is the plan, Rey? Is he going to tell you their next move every time they decide to attack?”

Rey pursed her lips.

“You said it yourself, it could have gone wrong the same way it worked out. We can’t trust him, Rey. We can’t base our strategy on his words. Because someday they can be lies and, believe me, that day it will all be over.”

“That won’t happen. His words will always be true.”

“Are you sure about that?”

 

She had answered with a blunt ‘yes’ and then she had left. But now that she was alone, she felt tormented by doubts. Yang Sook Mi’s words echoed in her mind: ‘ _Are you that foolish to think that a group of six people would take a whole planet? You’ve fallen right into his trap_.’

Rey already knew; she knew from the moment Kylo appeared behind her, in the Falcon’s cockpit. Did that mean he’d manipulated her? Or was she the one who let herself be manipulated? But that hadn’t been the case. She knew what she was doing. She wasn’t deceived, she just chose. Or that’s what she believed.

The Falcon was empty when she arrived and Rey figured Chewbacca was with the rest of the troops, enjoying the dinner party. She walked down the silent and cold corridor and went through the bunk in the back. As she laid in bed, she rolled up her sleeve to contemplate the beacon in her wrist, steadily pulsing with its blue light.

They had been so close… And now they were so far away again. She didn’t want to admit it, but she missed him.

A dry thud, like a bang, interrupted the course of her thoughts. She stood upright, watchful.

“Chewie?” she asked, leaning out of the bunk.

There was no answer. It looked like no one was there.

Despite that, she retraced her steps and took the blaster from her bag. She left the bunk quietly and walked through the main hold, where the sound had come from. But before she reached her destiny, something got on her way and her heart skipped a beat.

“Ben?”


	21. Set-up

# 21\. Set-up

 

The silence of General Hux was worse than a threat, Kylo knew it. It went beyond scorn. It was the emptiness raised to its highest level.

Impassive, the General looked at the empty space before them after the jump to hyperspace that leaded them away from Chandrillia; an emptiness synonymous of death. The rest of the crew stayed still, holding positions. Even the admirals kept silent. Only Captain Berice had the courage to approach the General after a reasonable time.

“What are the orders, sir?”

Hux turned to her slowly with an icy look. However, he pulled himself together in a matter of seconds, realizing the reality of the situation.

“Report on damages,” he demanded.

“We lost twenty-three TIE fighters with their pilots, sir. The _Hammer_ suffered structural damages, although it still can fly. Over a hundred stormtroopers sustained wounds of varying degrees of severity and need medical attention.”

“And the rebel scum?”

“We’ve calculated a total of sixteen casualties among the enemy ships.”

“Only sixteen,” he muttered. “Very well. Thank you, captain.” Turning to Kylo without even looking at him, he added, “Is it all right if we return to our base, Supreme Leader?”

“I have no objection.”

“Perfect, then. You’ve hear him, set course for Apoptiona III.”

 

The First Order was born and grew up in the Unknown Regions. That’s why its headquarters were located in the third moon of the mining planet Apoptiona, a small enclave in the zone. Kylo had been on that moon before, but always passing by between other destinations given that Snoke’s missions carried him all over the Galaxy. Now, as the new Supreme Leader, the luxurious facilities that belonged to his former master were now his.

When he arrived, he took a moment to silently walk the rooms, looking at them as they were something new, strange and alien. Kylo wasn’t used to luxury. Although his mother still held the rank of princess when he was little, she never overstepped her privileges. They had an apartment and ship, but she didn’t flaunt like other senators, who lived in real palaces.

After that, in the Jedi Temple, the small comforts he’d had as a child disappeared and were replaced by the frugality and simplicity that the Jedi teachings enacted. And even though the situation had improved when he joined the First Order and became Snoke’s right hand, he’d spent most part of the last ten years in some vessel’s metal rooms, going from one place of the Galaxy to the next.

The Supreme Leader’s quarters occupied the whole top floor of the castle’s highest tower. The outbuildings were modern and functional, built in the last twenty years, but the original castle, with its typical local architecture, remained intact as the nerve centre of the base. It was a red stone building which harboured the meeting rooms and the High Command quarters.

The floor had a dormitory with a big balcony, which offered an excellent view of the base, and a bed so large that a whole regiment could sleep on it. The bathroom was senselesly ostentatious, with a bathtub that could compare with a whole sea, made in a white streaked turquoise stone that made the water shine. There was also a bureau, a meeting room and a dinner room, all them furnished with invaluable items.

Kylo didn’t bother to check them all, he had no time and no desire for it. There were more important things to do. He called Marudd, who stood guard at his door, and ordered him to go get Yang Sook.

“I’m sorry, sir,” the Knight apologized. “Yang Sook’s meeting with General Hux.”

Kylo’s expression showed his concern.

“With Hux? Why haven’t I been informed?”

“It was improvised. And I was going to tell you when you had finished settling in. The General also told us to inform you that he’s organized a meeting this afternoon. He wants to talk about the battle of Chandrillia and wants you to attend, Master.”

“He wants me to attend? Who does this asshole think he is to arrange a meetings behind my back? Whatever. Oh, and, Marudd, if Hux ask any of you to speak with him, I want you to inform me right away, understood?”

“Yes. Of course, Master.”

 

As he realized he’d been the last to arrive to the meeting room, the certainty that Hux had given him a wrong hour indication on purpose hit him like a maze.

“Your Highness,” greeted the General casually, as if he didn’t know what was happening. “We were waiting for you. We were talking about what strategy we should follow from now on after the Chandrillia failure. What do you think? What should we do?”

The Supreme Leader looked around. Fifteen pairs of eyes were staring at him, waiting for his reaction. He knew all of them; he had carried out countless missions with those men and women. But now all of them seemed like strangers, distant, different. A disturbance told him that Hux had sowed seeds of doubt in their minds and now all them were assessing him, looking for a crack in his form or his speech.

“Today’s defeat has been painful,” started Kylo, answering to the gauntlet Hux had thrown his way. “But it’s been a minor defeat.” A faint murmur of voices spread through the room and some of those present looked at each other. Kylo ignored them and kept talking. “Our dominance over the Galaxy is still strong. Thyferra and Bothawui are under our command now. And despite the fact that the Core Worlds like Corucant, Chandrillia and Corellia still resist, it’s only a matter of time.”

“But the Resistance’s power is growing again,” said Hux, casting a shadow on Kylo’s speech. “Today’s victory can encourage them. They caught us off guard and rumour will quickly spread across the Galaxy. We can’t allow them to run free, because if they gather a bigger army they will become a greater danger for us.”

Many of the admirals nodded, showing their concern. The general was good with rhetoric and knew how to bring them to his side.

Kylo was aware that the rebels weren’t a real threat to the First Order. Their victory had been pure luck and also the consequence of his own sabotage. They would never win the war and facing them was a waste of time that Kylo wanted to avoid at all costs in order to protect Rey.

However, he couldn’t argument that to the admirals because it would seem like he didn’t take the matter seriously. He needed to gain their trust more than ever, at the same time he undermined their faith in Hux. Maybe the clue was to offer them something distracting enough to keep them occupied long enough while he thought the best way to redirect the situation.

“Don’t forget that Naboo must remain our priority, now that the bulk of our forces are free after the battles of Thyferra and Bothawui. Instead, we should appoint a small squad to find the rebel’s base, an inconspicuous group that doesn’t compromise the other campaigns and can work independently. I’m sure someone somewhere will talk now that they’re recruiting new members. Destroying their base again will deal them a definite death blow.”

Hux’s eyes shined and Kylo knew something had gone wrong.

“Thas is a brilliant idea, Your Excellency. However, to whom can we entrust this important mission? It must be a competent and trustfully group, who knows the gutter of the Galaxy. A group able to find the unfindable. We all know that the new rebels are taking their safety very seriously. It was an impressive feat to find out about Coruscant. And because of that we need to choose very skilled personnel, strong and discreet at the same time. A group capable of everything. Such as… The Knights of Ren.”

Kylo’s surprise was so great that it was almost audible. And although he tried not to show it, his turmoil was plain on his face.

“Unless they have more important matters to attend,” added Hux, in a casual way, though he knew perfectly well that he’d dealt a game-winning shot.

Kylo hesitated, before answering sharply.

“They are in charge of my security.”

“Yes, but sir, you are in Apoptiona III right now. There is no need for protection here. You have the whole army at your disposal.”

The Supreme Leader clenched his fists under the table, where they couldn’t be seen. Hux had tricked him without him noticing. And what made it worse, he had walked right into the set-up without seeing it coming.

Kylo wondered how he could reverse the situation to his advantage, but couldn’t think of anything. In fact, Hux was right in saying the Knights of Ren were the best for the task. Under other circumstances he would have proposed it himself.

“Furthermore, Yang Sook Mi has proved to be an important asset in the battle of Chandrillia. If she had had a larger group of men at her disposal, I’m sure she would have taken control of Hanna City. I’m certain she would be a great commander, don’t you agree?”

The sound of whispers spread across the room. The expectant admirals were waiting for an answer. And Kylo knew it couldn’t be a refusal, it would mean that he didn’t trust the protection that his subordinate was offering him.

“You are right, General Hux. Yang Sook Mi will be a great commander.”

“So, do you agree that the Knights of Ren take care of this mission?”

“Yes, I agree. I will meet the Knights tomorrow and give them the appropriate orders. I myself will oversee the mission.”

The admirals sighed in relief, but Kylo was far from satisfied. The moment he send the Knights away, Hux would have him at his mercy. He had to find a solution to his enemy’s checkmate soon or the game may result in his defeat.

 

Frustration was consuming him when Kylo arrived at his quarters. He needed to talk to Yang Sook quickly but was too upset to face her. Besides, Hux could see it as a victory if he rushed to her at the moment. The Supreme Leader needed to give the appearance of self-reliance and confidence. That’s why he ordered not to be disturbed and put Marudd at the foot of the only stairs leading up to the top floor of the tower where he was staying.

Then, he started pacing the hallway like a caged beast.

Was it possible that the battle against Hux was already lost? The general was way ahead when speaking of foul play. With each new meeting, Kylo got a worse deal. And with his last trick, Hux had not only taken away his most trusted comrades, but also turned them against him. Although the Knights of Ren knew about the rivalry between Hux and him, they didn’t know about Rey. Nor about the fact that he was helping the enemy, in a way.

The only exception was Yang Sook. But she alone couldn’t fool the rest of her companions. And even if he ordered her to sabotage the mission, that wouldn’t work forever. Sooner or later the Knights would find the rebel base or find out about their secret.

And then?

He hissed, annoyed.

Then he felt a disturbance in the Force, the prelude to a visit.

He suddenly stopped in the middle of the room and looked around, searching for her. He couldn’t find her. But even so, he could sense her, she was very close. For a moment, he forgot everything that bothered him, left the room and walked through the hallway. He stopped by the dining room, where the familiar sense was stronger.

And then he saw her.


	22. New General Poe Dameron

# 22\. New General Poe Dameron

 

 

Kylo had materialized in the middle of the Falcon’s corridor, looking at her in frustration. Rey shook her head, suddenly feeling stupid for having panicked at the noise. She glanced at the blaster in her hand and walked through the main hold to leave it on the table.

“I thought someone came in the Falcon,” she justified.

“You weren’t that far wrong,” he mumbled in response.

Something in Kylo’s tone denoted fury. Rey wondered what had happened to him and if the battle’s development and the events of Hanna City had negatively affected him, somehow. But the question posed by Yang Sook, as well as the one asked by Poe during the dinner, made her push her compassionate feelings to the bottom of her heart, arming once again a shield around her.

“You know what? I didn’t like what you did during the battle,” she said, folding her arms over her chest, without even trying to hide her disappointment. “You used our bond to trick me and make me do something I didn’t want to.”

In Kylo’s eyes she could see that that was the last thing he expected to hear from her. His gesture tensed and his gaze darkened. Maybe he had had a rough day and expected to find comfort in her. But that wasn’t something Rey could offer him after what happened.

“That was the only way to protect you,” he responded, defensively. “It wasn’t easy, you know? I put myself in danger to protect you and your friends. And I did with no hesitation. The last thing that I need right now is you throwing it in my face.”

“I didn’t ask you to do that! And I’ve told you before, I don’t need you to protect me. I’ve told you a hundred times!”

“No. You do.” He pointed an accusing finger at her, as he was talking to a child. “Hux had you in his sights and you don’t know what he is capable of.”

“I do know what he is capable of. I’ve been to Starkiller Base, remember? I’m not a child, nor an inept Jedi. I can take care of myself!”

“No! You can’t! If Yang Sook hadn’t been on that battle, you would have died three times!”

“You don’t know that! Besides, if that was all, maybe I could have forgiven you! But you forced me to leave my friends behind! And you did it with a trick! You used one of your Knights to get to me and lure me away from the battle! The same Knight that almost killed my best friend!”

“It was a damn battle, Rey! People die on those! And Yang Sook is the only one that can help us right now!”

Suddenly, Kylo’s figure vanished into thin air, as if it had only been a dream. Rey looked around, confused. She’d been left mid-sentence, face flushed and heart pounding. She remembered the last time they’d got into an argument, when she’d been looking for some information in the Jedi Sacred Texts and they’d met again after a long time. That time it had gone the same way, the connection had cut off when they began to fight.

Did the bond work like that? They couldn’t fight? But Rey needed to do so. She was frustrated and resentful for what happened. She didn’t like when Kylo acted that way. She thought things would change after Leia’s death, but they hadn’t made any advance. A part of her was afraid that Poe’s warning could become a reality. What if he was right and she didn’t know Kylo as well as she thought?

“Well, whatever. I don’t want to see him again,” she told herself, putting those thoughts aside and returning to her bunk with longs strides.

If he wasn’t willing to give in, nor would she. He wasn’t the only one taking a serious risk, she also did when facing Poe and Finn to protect him. Besides, she didn’t need him. She could take care of herself. She’d been doing it all her life and would continue to do so. As for the Resistance strategy… She would find the way to defeat the First Order without him. She had to admit that Kylo’s tip-of had been of great help, but she would eventually find another way. Poe was sure about that and maybe she could star to believe it too.

 

The next morning, after breakfast, they arranged a strategy meeting inside one of the meeting rooms of the House of the Senate. The whole Resistance High Command was there: Poe, Rey, Finn, Lieutenant Connix, Chewbacca… And also some of the more skilled pilots that’d joined the battle, such as Wa’Mung.

The last battle and the recent additions to the rebel army had brought with them some changes to the inner structure of the organization, and all of them were made official during the meeting, as some of the new incomers became part of the chain of command.

“As I told many of you yesterday,” Poe explained to the assistants “Chewbacca will leave us to take care of the restructuration of the military school of Hanna City. Also, Wa’Mung has incorporated as the new Navy Admiral and will command the aerial attacks from now on.”

Applauses and sound of approval filled the room and some of the rebels approached the burg to congratulate him personally. Poe resumed his speech once they were finished.

“About the strategy we will follow from now on: There have been reports that point to Naboo as the next First Order’s target. The planet has been withstanding the enemy attacks for years, thanks to Senator Thadié Berenko’s work. However, after her death in Hosnian Prime, rumour has it that his military strategy is no longer being effective and the planet will fall soon.”

“Connix suggested to organize a secret mission to evaluate the state of Naboo and the surrounding systems, before we launch an offensive to protect the planet. Also, we want to get a hold with the Queen to form an alliance, and we need to do it in person because the siege of the First Order is impeding us to communicate through the normal communication system. We need volunteers to carry out this mission.”

“I volunteer,” Finn said, standing up.

“Me too!” echoed Rose.

A surprised Rey looked at them, because she didn’t know about any of this. She started to raise her hand as well, by inertia, but Poe stopped her.

“Wait, Rey. I want to ask something of you. As I suppose all of you already know, the new base in the planet of Arado is almost ready. Our companions are working very hard to organize the place and make it operational as soon as possible. We want to create a training school for the new members that have no military formation. That’s why, Rey, I want you to be the Base Captain and also the pilot’s trainer.”

Rey’s eyes widened.

“Me? But I don’t have any military experience,” she said, referring Poe’s words from the previous afternoon.

“Pardon me for saying so, comrade,” Connix answered, putting a friendly hand on her shoulder, “but I think you are the more experienced one in this room, leaving Poe aside.”

“Exactly. It’s true that you’ve never been on a piloting academy, but no one flies like you. Except me, provably. And I can’t face such a task right now because I’m going to take over as General of the Resistance. You are our best pilot, Rey, I’m sure you can give some advice to the new recruits. And about the base leadership, lieutenant Connix will be with you and will take care of the more specific tasks. All you have to do is coordinate everything and be the bridge that unites the base with the rest of the Resistance.”

Rey wasn’t sure about it, but nodded. However, when the meeting finished, she approached Poe to speak to him.

“I hope this isn’t a way of keeping me in check, Poe.”

The new General grinned.

“And what if it was?”

“Hey, hey. It isn’t,” Finn answered, joining the conversation. “It was me who asked him to give you the job. You’ll do great. You are the best pilot in the Galaxy, I’m sure you can teach some tricks to the newcomers. If they learn one-tenth of what you know, we will win the war for sure.”

“That’s going overboard, Finn! I’m just a nobody!”

“You are not! And I’m telling the truth!”

“Whatever,” she said. And then, addressing Poe, added: “Don’t let the status of General go to your head. You know what I think about your strategies, you better keep that in mind.”

“I’ll have to get back to you on that one. Now I have to catch my flight.”

“Where are you going?”

“To Ganthel.”

“To Ganthel? For what?”

“For business. I have an important meeting with a group of businessmen from the shipyards. If Leia taught me anything it’s that alliances are best done in person and with secrecy.”

“Who do you got with you?”

“You’re talking to Poe Dameron, I don’t need anyone. And it’s better to do it alone, to avoid attention. However, I gotta say that BB-8 is coming with me this time.”

“And that’s why you are leaving me in charge?”

“The four of you are whom I trust the most, so it seems fair that two of you take care of Naboo and the other two rule the base, don’t you agree?”

“I think that you are actually leaving us the dirty work while you get the best part,” Finn added.

“That’s the good part of being the General, isn’t it? Anyway, my friends, I hope to see you soon. Our victory looms ever nearer, don’t forget it. Together we can do it. May the Force be with you.”

“Yeah, may the Force be with you and all that. You’ll need it,” said Finn, giving him a hug.

“Oh! And Rey, if you have some new from the First Order, contact me,” a confident Poe added at the last moment. “Try finding out something about Naboo, if you can.”

Rey pressed her lips into a thin line, shifting her gaze to cover up her concern. She didn’t want to talk with Poe about her fight with Kylo, nor about her decision to not depend on the Knight’s help to win the war. It would be a pain to prove him right again.

So she answered, evasively: “I’ll try. Take care.”

And, after that she left the room, heading for the Falcon.

 

 

 


	23. Distance

# 23\. Distance

 

“Rey?” Kylo asked, though there was nothing but air where she had once stood.

There was no answer and the Supreme Leader growled, taking out his frustration on a dinner room’s chair that was thrown at the wall. Its black splinters were left scattered on the floor, as pieces of charcoal that Kylo furiously stepped on on his way out.

Why didn’t Rey understand that everything he did, he did for her? She was right, he used their bond to lead her away from the battle, but that saved her from a certain death. Besides, he’d put himself at risk when he told her about their strategy and when he managed to introduce Yang Sook in the battle to protect her. Why didn’t she value that? Why did she just complain about everything?

He wanted to scream it at her, it seemed the only way to knock some sense into her. But that damn bond didn’t help. He hissed while hastily pacing up and down the corridor, as if that would help him to calm down somehow.

And maybe it worked, because after a while, he stopped in front of his dorm.

Right now he couldn’t do anything about it. Rey had left and it seemed that the connection wouldn’t be restored in the near future. On the other hand, the argument with her was the least of his problems. Some other issues required his full attention at the moment. To think what to do about Hux, or to talk to his Knights about the search of the rebel base among them.

He approached the nearest communicator and called the Knights of Ren for an urgent meeting. He would take care of Rey later.

 

When the seven arrived, Kylo had had enough time to cool his thoughts and plan what to do next. The Knights of Ren looked at him expectantly, wondering what brought them there. That’s why Kylo didn’t beat around the bush.

“Hux has organized a search mission to find the rebel base and he wants you to take care of it. The official version is that the Resistance is gaining ground again after Chandrilia’s victory and that we need to take care of them before they become a real problem. The reality is that he wants to keep you away from me to try to lure me into his trap.”

“And why don’t we take him out?” D’sshu suggested. “Hux has become a pain in the ass. He has been for a long time, but lately his shit’s hit the fan.”

The vando, an amphibious life-form with a reptilian face, didn’t talk much on meetings, nor in other group events, but when he did he always voiced his strong convictions.

“D’sshu is right,” added Haran, a human woman with black skin and white hair, native to Coruscant. “Sir, you disposed of Snoke because he stood in our way. We should do the same with General Hux.”

“And we will, you can be sure of that. But we can’t do it directly or we will provoke an open confrontation inside the First Order. Many admirals are very fond of Hux for being Brendol’s son. If we kill him and they find out that it was us, that will only antagonize them. We must find a way to make them stop relying on him before we let him fall.”

“And how do we do that?” Marudd wanted to know. He, a human man, was the only one that didn’t come from the Jedi Temple and was under Snoke’s orders before Kylo and the rest joined him.

In fact, Marudd was the Knight that concerned Kylo the most after he became the Supreme Leader. At first, he didn’t know how the man would take the death of his former master. However, Kylo soon discovered that the only loyalty Marudd felt was to the strongest.

“Hux is preparing an offensive on Naboo. As you know, it’s critical battle to achieve the ultimate domination of the Galaxy. And, because of that, we will sabotage it.”

Kylo let the words float in the air for a while. It was a dangerous confession and he needed to know how the Knights would react. Some of them had been fighting in Naboo for years, searching for a way to take down the planet. And now his leader was suggesting to sabotage a battle to conquer it. That could hurt their pride.

However, he didn’t find any trace of opposition in their eyes, only curiosity. He kept talking.

“This time I’ll stay out of the Naboo operation, under the pretext of controlling your advances. And when he fails, full responsibility will be on Hux’s shoulders. That will be the perfect moment to kill him. And once we’re rid of him you all will command the definitive attack against Naboo. That will bring a double victory to us: we will finish Hux and we will take the credit for defeating the last rebel bastion.”

“Does this mean that we must put the search mission of the rebel base aside?”

“No. The mission still stands, finding their base can be very useful. I want you all to go undercover at the busiest spaceports and to pose as mercenaries who want to join the Resistance. I assume that after our defeat on Chandrillia many will do the same, so you’ll get across undetected. It’s probable that, even if you come in contact with them, they’ll keep you on probation before letting you join their army or telling you important strategic information, such as the location of the rebel base. However, you must claw your way up quickly. If one of you succeeds, that could help us on the sabotage of Hux’s plans on Naboo.”

Kylo looked at his Knights, studying their reactions.

“It can be done,” Eliph answered.

“Yes, I agree. We can do it,” Tioka added, talking through the mask that covered her head as she nodded. “I’m good at spying. I’m pretty sure I could easily get into the Resistance.”

“Well, I’m not sure about the plan, Master,” said Yang Sook, interrupting her companions. “I’m worried about your safety if you stay here alone. Couldn’t we find another way that you could come with us?”

There was total silence. Everybody knew that Yang Sook was the only one allowed to be as daring. However, even she had gone too far this time, so they contained their breaths, waiting for what’d happened next.

To their disappointment, the Supreme Leader merely answered with a short:

“Save yourself the concern, Yang Sook. I don’t need it.”

Both of them, Kylo and Yang Sook, shared a glance before he looked away to overview the rest of them, as he added.

“It is imperative that you go undercover in the Resistance, and I can’t do that. Furthermore, if I stay here, Hux will let his guard down, and it will be easier to make him fall into the trap.”

“I understand. I’m sorry, Master. I didn’t mean to underestimate your plan,” Yang Sook agreed.

“Just do your job. And if you want to help, be the first to join the rebels.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Any more questions?”

The Knights looked at each other, but none of them spoke.

“Good. We’ll meet again first thing tomorrow to define a plan of action. You’ll depart as soon as we choose your destiny. For now, you can leave.”

The Knights left the room to return to their own chambers after the meeting ended, except for Marudd that was still in charge of the protection of Kylo’s apartment. However, before Yang Sook could do the same, Kylo stopped her near the principal door.

“I want to talk to you about your meeting with Hux.”

“Yes, master. Of course.”

The nautolan was about to return to the meeting room, but then she noticed that Kylo headed to the lounge, and she followed him.

The spacious room was as large as a Star Destroyer. There was a black round table at one side, surrounded by high red chairs with complicated ornamental motifs in their backs. On the other, seats, armchairs and cushions in golden hues, surrounding a fireplace made of ember-looking refulgent red stone, now extinguished. The floor was covered in carpets, and next to the windows overlooking the city-base, vaporous curtains hanged, as if they were yarn with light.

Neither of them took a seat.

“What did Hux want?”

“He wanted me to talk about what happened in Hanna City.”

“And what did you tell him?”

“The truth: That our mission was to take the House of the Senate, but the rebels appeared. And that I faced the girl, but when I realized I couldn’t beat her, I escaped.”

“And he believed you?”

“I don’t really know. But he asked me to watch you.”

Kylo grinned with sufficiency.

“That’s perfect. We can use that to trick him.”

“Ben, what if Hux finds out?”

“He won’t.”

“And when we finally find the rebel base? What then?”

“Nothing. We follow the plan.”

“That’s not the plan. In fact, the plan is that we never find it, isn’t it?”

Kylo didn’t answered and kept staring at Yang Sook. His black-as-night eyes were those of a child discovered in the middle of some mischief.

“With all due respect and admiration I have for you, Ben, this is madness. How are you going to handle this? I can’t help you with everything!”

“Do you think I don’t know that? But I can’t think of nothing else! Hux has me on the edge. I don’t know how to protect Rey and be the Supreme Leader of the First Order at the same time!”

Yang Sook kept silent for a moment, as if she was thinking something but didn’t dare to say it out loud. Finally, after some hesitation, she added

“If you care so much, why don’t you leave with her?”

Kylo looked at her, frowning.

“What?”

“You two can finish Hux together, and there will be no need for his death o sustain on a House of Cards.”

“Are you out of your mind? There is no place for me in the Resistance. And I don’t want one!”

“That’s not what I mean. You can just run away together.”

“Run away? Where?”

“Isn’t the Galaxy big enough?”

“This isn’t a romantic Holo, Yang Sook. Nor I’m the hero that gives up the crown for love. The First Order and the Dark Side are all that’s left for me. What’s the value of my life if I lose them?”

 

Two weeks had passed since the departure of the Knights of Ren and everything followed its normal course in Apoptiona.

Now, instead of his Knight, the ones guarding the door to Kylo’s chambers night and day were two soldiers wearing the traditional red uniform. Kylo was sure that the true mission of the soldiers was to control him and that Hux knew his location at any time. However, his activities couldn’t be less suspicious.

The daily routine of the Supreme Leader came down to training and supervising some strategic meetings in relation to his Knights. He had given Hux the command of Operation Naboo, and although he sometimes attended the meetings, he did not go into deliberations and just gave his approval.

Meanwhile, he tried to regain control of some administrative tasks that Snoke used to supervise, to better his subordinates’ perception of him. However, soon he discovered that few things interested him less than discussing about supplies, trade routes and mining operations, and most of the time he just let someone else make the decisions, retiring to his quarters to train after that.

That afternoon, bored with meditation and repetitive lightsaber movements that quickly became mechanical when training against a robot, he headed to one of the hangars to use the flight simulator. Piloting his TIE was one of the things he missed the most in this endless enclosure, and he thought that the experience could help him cope with the nostalgia and to prevent the decay of his reflexes.

It was probably the first time someone of his rank asked for something like that, because the official in command looked at him with a terrified but also shocked expression. After that, the same official ordered to close the hangar so that “the Supreme Leader could enjoy his training with no setbacks.”

Kylo didn’t want to argue with him. Furthermore, he knew fear was a great way to control his subordinates. So he accepted the offer and prepared himself for practice.

In the solitude of the test cockpit, he focused on the enemy Starfighters that came across his way, letting the adrenalin and the heat of the battle rock him. Reaching to the Force in such a primitive way was a relief.

That made him think about the many days that had passed since he’d heard anything about Rey. Their Force essences hadn’t meet again since the fight they’d had about Chandrillia’s battle. He had tried to reach her several times, but not even the desire of seeing her again worked the miracle. He wondered if she was still mad at him and if that was the reason they couldn’t meet again.

With his hands still clinging to the controls of the fake TIE and his thumbs pressing the triggers that made the enemy vessels blow into pieces on the screen, the need of talking to her urgently pierced his conscience. Not only to ensure she was safe or to talk about the things happening in the First Order, but because he missed her. Rey had become a vital part of his life and not having her with him felt as if something was missing. She was the only one with whom Kylo could be himself without the fear of being judged.

Besides, he wanted to kiss her again, there was no denying it. He wanted to have her in his arms and feel the touch of her skin with his fingertips, even if the sensation came through the Force. To sleep next to her was one of the best experiences of his life and he was looking forward to repeat it.

He stopped paying attention to the simulator, and after a short while a red blinking light on the screen informed him that his TIE had been destroyed, asking him to restart the application if he wanted to continue with the training. Kylo ignored the machine and on a whim took out the beacon from one of his pockets; he always carried it with him, as if it was a part of him.

He watched the light of the device pulse in his gloved hand, reminding him that the other half was doing the same, wherever it was. Was Rey looking at hers too?, he wondered. He liked to pretend she was.

The idea of connecting the beacon to a droid to track the location of its twin came across his mind, but he quickly understood that it wouldn’t make things right. He couldn’t leave Apoptiona to go after her.

Then, it was just a matter of sitting back and wait for their paths to cross again, either because she felt ready or just because the moment was right.

 


	24. Defence plan

# 24\. Defence plan

 

Arado was an Outer Rim planet far from the main trade routes, found in a solar system surrounded by an asteroid belt so dense that was impossible to penetrate. However, there was a small access route, only known to few. That determined their decision to make it into the location of the new base. Keeping the route well-guarded, the rebel base would be impregnable.

Rey had been on the planet for three weeks and she was still not used to its wild beauty.

The base was located near a high and extensive mountain range that looked as if painted with all the known colours. The mineral salts and the elements escaping from its entrails were like spilled rainbows over the hillsides, sparkling under the light of the white sun around which the fifteen planets of the system orbited.

At night, the sky turned into a light show. The northern lights painted the nightly black with fluorescent-green curtains, falling from the sky as if they were the trail of a giant meteorite. The three moons, pink, white and purple, presided over the show, which Rey never tired of watching.

Miraculously, the young Jedi managed to get used to the base rhythm and to her new role as Base Captain, thanks to Lieutenant Connix. In fact, she was so good at it, that it seemed she’d been doing it her whole life. No one would say that two months ago her life was turned upside down and Jakku became history to her. Now, the desert planet seemed as far away as another life.

Maybe that was just the case.

 

Flight instruction finished early that noon. The group of pilots under Rey’s command turned out to be brighter than they seemed at first and made things so easy that she was sure that in a couple of month all of them would be ready to face the professional pilots of the First Order.

Though the girl didn’t know much about teaching people, because nobody had ever taught her and she’d learned all she knew by herself, she tried to just be herself during practices, as Lieutenant Connix had advised her. That made it easier to put herself in the shoes of those merchants and transporters now made into pilots, and as their relationship became closer, she was able to solve theirs doubts before they even raised them.

“And remember to do the ship’s maintenance just after every battle. It’s very important to get it ready for any unforeseen situation. I know most of you already do it, because those vessels are your way of life, but keep that in mind. Don’t let an ill-fitting alternator turn into an obstacle during a fight.”

“Thank you, master” echoed some voices.

“I told you not call me master!” complained her.

Some laughs were heard and then everyone dispersed and returned to their own duties; much remained to be done in the base, yet.

Rey was about to do the same when she realized Connix waited leaning on a doorjamb of the hangar, arms crossed and cheerful looking at her.

“Poe was right: you are a natural,” the lieutenant congratulated her when Rey approached.

“I try my best.”

“Don’t be modest. I know the General would be very proud of you if she could see you.”

Rey felt her stomach turn. Leia’s death was still too recent and to hear her name made her eyes grow damp. She carefully caught a treacherous tear that escaped from the corner of her eye, and then smiled.

“Thank you, Kaydel,” she said, calling the other woman by her name. “I’m glad to hear it.”

The other put a friendly hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t mention it. Wanna come eat with me?”

“Sure.”

 

Working side by side for the operationalization of the base made Rey and Connix become closer than they were before, and the two women started a sort of friendship. Even though Rey made most of the important decisions –because she was the highest rank on the base- Connix was like an older sister that advised her all the time.

Despite her youth, the lieutenant had been in the Resistance’s fleet for years and had served in many battles against the First Order. Furthermore, she knew about command and organization, for which having her around was a blessing for achieving the right functioning of the base.

The two of them walked through an inner hallway connecting the hangar with one of the principal modules. There, on the right, was the dining area, where the meal was starting to be served.

“So, tell me, how are you doing?” the lieutenant asked, after both women had chosen their meals and took a sit on one of the long tables, most of them still empty.

“I’m doing well… mostly. I’m adapting. To be honest, I thought the experience would be worst, but things aren’t quite as bad. However, … I still feel anxious around people.”

“How’s that?”

“I suppose it’s because I’m not used to multitudes. Back in Jakku I worked and slept alone. The only moments I shared with other people were in Niima Outpost, cleaning the scrap to sell it to Unkar Plutt. But even there I didn’t talk much. I liked to finish my work quickly to return home. It was the only place where I felt safe.”

“I see. I was born in Dulathia, but I joined the Resistance when I was a child. So I’ve spend most of my life surrounded by crowds. Just the opposite of you! You’ll get used to it, you’ll see. The good thing about being accompanied at all times is that if you are feeling down, there’s always someone to talk to.”

Rey didn’t share that view. She still felt alone despite being surrounded by people. In fact, it made her more miserable, because, no matter how much she tried, she couldn’t connect with them and it was really frustrating. But she didn’t want to tell Connix because she didn’t want to worry her.

If only she had someone to talk to…

Kylo’s image appeared on her mind, but Rey pushed it away quickly. She hadn’t let herself think about the Knight since she had arrived to Arado, and she would not begin to do it now. She was still mad at him. Or rather, she was still forcing herself to be mad at him.

Because after she coldly analysed what happened in Chandrillia, she realized that, despite being mad at Kylo because of his attitude, deep down she understood why he did what he did. Besides, Rey knew he was right when he said she and the rest of the Millennium Falcon’s crew would probably be dead if not for Yang Sook’s help during the battle.

However, she feared if she played down the incident and acted as if it never happened, he would take her less seriously.

“Rey, Rey.”

Rey came back to the dining area, next to Connix.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I got distracted.”

The other woman laughed. Her laugh was friendly and refreshing.

“Don’t worry. Were you thinking about home?”

Rey blinked. About home? She attempted to deduct what that meant, but what came to her mind was not Jakku, but the Falcon and her meetings with Kylo. She smiled briefly, and despite all, she answered:

“Yes. I was thinking about home.”

 

 

It was midnight when the Falcon’s communicator beeped, alerting of an incoming call. Rey slightly opened her eyes, still half-asleep, and got out of the bunk bed to answer.

At the other side, Connix’s voice sounded wide awake.

“Rey, I’m sorry to disturb you at this hour, but Poe just arrived and is bringing news from Naboo.”

“All right, don’t worry. I’m on my way.”

There were plenty of empty beds on the base, including single rooms for the High Command; however, Rey preferred the calm of the Falcon. She washed her face on the sink, took the lightsaber -that stayed always with her- and headed to the meeting room. When she arrived, a young cadet was making some _koj_ , a spicy drink with sweet aroma that everybody in the base seemed to enjoy, and that Rey really hated.

Poe was talking to captain Karell, but when he noticed Rey’s presence, he excused himself and approached the girl. He wrapped her in a big hug, that she tried to return awkwardly.

“Do we have some news?”

“Yes. Finn and Rose did a great job and it seems they’ve found a way to protect the planet. And, while we are at it, kick the First Order’s goddamn ass. I’ll tell you all the details in a moment. So, how are things going in here?”

“Great. Pilots learn fast and the base reparations are well advanced.”

“I love it when you give me good news. And speaking of that, did your contact have some good news too?”

Rey felt a twitch in her stomach.

“Ehm –No. Sorry. But you’ll be the first to know when he does.”

“I suppose after what happened in Chandrilia things have gotten complicated for him to drop more information. But, hey, Rey, you know this is important. If he truly wants to help tell him to snap out of it, will you?”

Rey was about to answer but Wa’Mung entered the meeting room and Poe left her in the middle of a word to go talk to him.

“All this tension before the battle is very exciting, isn’t it?” Connix said, approaching her.

Rey looked at her without answering. She wasn’t feeling excited at all. In fact, the moment before a battle made her nervous. Who knew what may happen or if they’d be able to return safe and sound?

After all the latecomers had arrived, the meeting started. Poe greeted everyone and after some small conversation and an apology for the late hours, he switched on the 3D-holo on the central aisle. The image showed a star chart of the Naboo System and surrounding area.

“Dear comrades, as you already know, a couple of weeks ago our teammates Finn and Rose departed for Naboo on a secret mission to assess the system’s situation and that of the Chommell sector. As we predicted, the First Order has sent a strong army to the nearby area. You can see that the main routes to the planet have been intercepted by our enemies, and any ship that wants to approach it must report to General Hux himself. It’s not all bad news, however.”

The image of the star chart changed to a sphere that represented the Naboo planet and the shield that protected it.

“Naboo is a non-violent planet and doesn’t have large quantities of weapons. However, its inhabitants are great developers and scientists, and they’ve created a defence shield that surrounds the planet, and which is impossible to break into, except for certain access points guarded by ally battalions. That’s what has kept them safe from the First Order until now. From what we were able to find out, Hux’s got the Naboo shield plans and wants to disable it so the fleet he has on the area can attack the planet and make it fall.”

“And what does the Naboo government say?” Captain Deik asked. He was a nautolan in charge of the ground forces.

“That’s the good part, my friend” Poe said, snapping fingers as he changed the holo of Naboo to show an image of a woman wearing the fine robes of the Queens of Naboo and an intricate hairstyle with jewels and gemstones hanging from it. “This is Queen Gelliana Dabee. Finn and Rose managed to get to her and make a deal. The naboo and the gungan had a tactical agreement since the First Order started to besiege them, so both civilizations agree that the Resistance gives them a hand, as long as we don’t ask anything in return.”

There were a few chuckles across the room.

“We are not charging them extra, if that’s what they’re afraid of.”

“Hey, stop joking about that” Connix rebuked. “The naboo are pacifist and I’m sure they are afraid that we’ll force them to take sides in the fight against the First Order.”

“Ok, but what’s the action plan,” someone asked in the back.

The image of the Queen on the holo disappeared to show the planet and the shield again.

“Connix, can you explain the technical details?”

“Of course, General,” the lieutenant nodded, approaching the holo, which turned to exemplify everything she was explaining. “The shield has two generating sources: the principal and the secondary. The first one is placed near the capital, Theed, and the other one is in the Gallo Mountains. The principal creates the shield, but to disable it you needed to turn off both generating sources, because the secondary gives an emergency coverage when the principal falls.

This information is only known by the High Command of Naboo. Well, and now all of you too. But we doubt that the First Order is aware of it.

The plan is to let the First Order make a move and make them believe they’ve disabled the shield. We will move our ground forces to the Gallo Mountains, while in Theed there will only be a contingent of gungan and naboo soldiers, which the First Order can defeat easily.

This way, when they believe the shield has been destroyed, they’ll send their fleet to the planet to conquer it. What they won’t know is that the shield will still be operative. And then, our ships will take them by surprise and destroy the enemy fleet.”

“Judging by the reports,” Poe added then “we estimate the First Order’s attack to be in two weeks. We have plenty of time to get the ships ready and to hide them in the Naboo nearby systems. And to infiltrate our ground forces on the planet, in charge of guarding the Gallo Mountains. This time we won’t just stop their plans, we will teach them a lesson they’ll never forget.”

 


	25. Sneak attack

# 25\. Sneak attack

 

 

Kylo was in the middle of training when someone knocked on the room’s door. The troopers had been told not to disturb him, so he imagined it was something important.

“Wait a moment,” he ordered the combat droid he was using as a rival.

Then he approached the door.

One of the troopers that guarded his room stood outside.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Your Excellency,” the trooper stuttered, who couldn’t help but send a fearful glance at the lightsaber hilt that Kylo still held in his hand. “I’m deeply sorry to disturb your training, but General Hux has arranged an urgent meeting and he wishes you to attend. We― we called you on your communicator, but you didn’t answer… So…”

“An urgent meeting?” he asked, frowning. He had no idea what the trooper was talking about.

“Yes, sir. It’s about Operation Naboo. It seems there’s been developments, and the manoeuvre will be starting soon.”

Kylo’s expression darkened.

“What?” he shouted, making the trooper shrink in on himself.

“I― I… The General…”

“Tell Hux I’m coming. And don’t even think to start without me!”

“A―At your command, your Excellency!” the trooper complied before running away faster than ever in his entirely life.

Kylo shut the training’s room door and tried to calm down. He took a towel to wipe the sweat soaking his forehead and shirt.

Operation Naboo starting so immediately was bad news. First, because if Hux could take advantage of it and win the battle, Kylo’s plan to discredit him and finish him would fall apart. And second, because if the Resistance faced defeat in the fight, that would also affect Rey.

For what he had been told during preparations, Hux was aware that the Rebels had made a deal with the Queen of Naboo and they would help her to defend the planet. Kylo didn’t know if Rey would join the battle, they hadn’t spoken since Chandrillia. And because of that he was uneasy. He needed to contact her.

He focused on the Force and reached the image and the essence of the girl, like he’d done many times before. He needed to focus on that small sensation that the very existence of Rey created inside himself, and then make it bigger and concrete. It wasn’t much different than his other abilities in the Force, in the end it always came to get inside it and mould it to his will.

But, when he had almost reached his goal, the bond cast him out, as if it had punched him.

“Damn it!” he shouted, angry, clenching his fists and delivering a blow to the closed door with his knuckles, opening a hole in the crimson surface.

The same thing had been happening for weeks. He didn’t know what was wrong, if it was the Force itself that prevented him from contacting Rey or if the girl was the one putting him aside. Either way, it was a setback. He needed to warn her about the danger she was in if she went to Naboo; to warn her about the danger the whole Resistance was in.

 

 

After a quick shower, Kylo put on his formal outfit and went to the meeting room’s floor. His energetic steps made his cloak wave behind him and those who crossed his path moved away, intimidated.

The troopers that guarded his dorms tried to follow him, but he dismissed them with a sign. He didn’t need protection in Apoptiona and even less from soldiers under his main enemy orders.

He entered the meeting room without knocking on the door, and felt the admiral’s gaze on him, a shade of fear in their pupils.

“What is the meaning of this?” the Supreme Leader asked, coldly.

“Your Excellency…” started one of them, a middle-aged black man with bushy eyebrows above his dark eyes. “To bring forward the attack seemed the best solution after receiving certain reports…”

The man couldn’t finish the sentence. Kylo used the Force to draw him near and grabbed him by the neck. He approached his face to the admiral’s and kept staring at him, menacing:

“Who gave the order?”

“Ge―General… Hux…” the man tried to pronounce, with difficulty, while Kylo’s hand suffocated him.

“And where is he?”

“I’m here, _sir_ ” Hux’s voice sounded through the holo floating on the meeting table.

Kylo let the admiral go and turned around to face Hux’s image.

“Here? Where is here, _General_? And why wasn’t I informed of this?”

“I’m informing you _now_. I’m on the _Intimidator_ , on my way to Naboo. I thought that the Operation’s management was in my hands.”

“And so it was. But it doesn’t mean you can do as you please!”

Kylo hit the table with his fist, with such force that it creaked and staggered. For a moment, in the blurred holo, Hux gave the impression of being frightened by Kylo’s wrath. The General placed a hand on his neck and tried to loosen the collar of his jacket, feeling suffocated. He didn’t know if it was on account of his nerves or because the Supreme Leader’s Force reached him despite the distance that separated them.

However, it was gone in an instant. And after he pulled himself together, Hux added: “If you allow me to explain, sir, we found evidences that we have a mole in our ranks. And they had been providing information about our operations to the rebels.”

“What?”

Kylo glanced every side, looking for the meaning of those words on the admirals faces. But all of them seemed really busy or perhaps too scared to make eye contact with the Supreme Leader.

“It’s incredible, isn’t it?” Hux added, ironically. Both of them knew he was talking about Kylo himself. “That’s why we decided to launch the attack by surprise. The fleet is in position and the ground operative managed to get to Naboo thanks to a fissure in the planet’s shield. There is no reason to delay it anymore. Does it seem right to you, sir? Do you want us to go ahead?”

For a short while, Kylo stood still, silent, furious that Hux had managed to turn his plan on him once more. Now he couldn’t even reach him to kill him with his own hands. But after that moment of anger, he reminded himself that the game was still on and he could turn it around one more time. All he had to do was be patient. So he decided to wait and told himself that next time he wouldn’t let Hux break him.

“Yes, General. I’m fine with it. Proceed.”

 

 

This time, the fleet intended for the combat consisted of five Star Destroyers, more than double the number used in Chandrillia. Neither Hux nor the rest of the admirals wanted to attend a new shameful defeat from the dying Resistance. Naboo had become a valuable piece in the war.

The General commanded the attack personally, so Kylo moved to the war room to follow the battle. The ground operative, composed of a dozen troopers, had reached the shield generator and eliminated the detachment of gungans guarding it. They were now entering the codes to deactivate the shield.

Kylo supervised the operation with disinterest, even though, deep down, he was so worried that he wished to take the first free ship he found and fly to Naboo. But that was impossible, and the only thing he could do was to observe and try to redirect the situation in case it went wrong.

He just hoped Rey would be ok. He trusted the ability and strength of the girl, however, he knew she was impulsive enough to put herself in danger, even unwillingly, especially when her friends were the target.

What seemed like a brief pause before the battle started turned into something else.

“Looks like there’s a problem, Your Highness,” a technician informed.

“What kind of problem?”

“The ground forces disarmed the shield’s generator, however it is still working.”

“It’s still working? That means they have an emergency generator. Didn’t they check?”

“We had no information on the matter, Your Highness.”

“You had no information but you didn’t check? What kind of preparation is this? Get me General Hux on the line immediately.”

The General’s holo image appeared in front of him moments later.

“General, I see that unforeseen problems have arisen. I imagine that you have taken into account the possible existence of a second generator…”

“We are working on it.”

“Really? Because if the operation fails I’ll take messures. We can’t afford a second defeat.”

“We won’t lose this battle. Not this time.”

“I hope so, Hux. Your life depends on it, am I making myself clear?”

“Yes, Your Excellency. Very clear.”

The line went dead and a smile of satisfaction appeared on Kylo’s face. He covered it with his hand, to hide it. Maybe the setback wasn’t as unfortunate as he first thought. Maybe luck was smiling on him once again and the unexpected turn of events could give wings to the plan of making Operation Naboo fail.

The unexpected turns weren’t over, though.

“Your Highness,” the communications technician demanded his attention again, short after, “There’s an urgent message from Yang Sook Mi for you. She informs that she has important news referring to her mission, and that she wishes to talk to you as soon as possible.”

“Fine. I’ll talk to her in my chambers” he said, getting up and approaching the door. Before he left, he added: “Report any further developments in Naboo, even the insignificant ones.”

Once in his personal office, where Kylo kept a special communicator Eliph prepared so that no one could intercept their communications, he called the Knight.

“What is it, Yang Sook?”

“Master, I have news from Naboo. It seems that the rebels have organized a plan to take the First Order down.”

“Which plan?”

Yang sook told him in detail the operation the Resistance had come up with using the two generators as bait. When the Nautolan woman finished talking, Kylo couln’t help but smile wryly.

“That idiot Hux will walk straight into the rebels’ trap. Even I couldn’t have prepared a better plan. Where did you get the information from?”

“I have stablished in a spaceport with high rebel affluence. I haven’t gotten in their ranks yet, but I got close to a human girl called Qulaya, who was part of the group that escaped from Crait. She’s on the planet to recruit new members, and I’ve used my powers to earn her trust and got some information.”

Kylo clicked his tongue, annoyed.

“How are they supposed to win the war if their plans end spread out all over the Galaxy and in the mouths of any charlatan willing to tell them to whoever comes along? Anyway, did you hear from Rey? Did that girl tell you something about her?”

“No. The only thing I could find was that the group protecting the second generator is led by the traitor we met in Coruscant.”

“Finn? Then, I’m sure she’ll be around somewhere. Are you far from Naboo? Can you get there soon?”

“I’m sorry, Master. I’m in the Outer Rim. It will take me several hours to get to Naboo.”

“I understand. Then stay there and keep an eye out. Take advantage of the connection with that rebel woman and get what you can from her. And keep me informed.”

After hanging up, Kylo sat and tried to calm down. Even though he still couldn’t contact Rey, things were going better than expected. He could even dare to hope the rebels did the dirty work and finish Hux. What remained to be done was to ask the Force to keep Rey safe and not let her take any chances during the battle. However, something inside him told him that was too much to ask for.


	26. Naboo

# 26\. Naboo

 

Rey was in the middle of a training session when she felt Kylo’s call through the Force.

 _Not now!_ , she told herself, pulling him out of her consciousness and focusing again on what she was doing before, sharply moving the ship’s controls.

However, the damage was done and the Falcon’s direction was affected, so she had to do an unexpected turn to avoid the cliff towards it was headed. When she had regained control of the situation again, Rey turned to the two pilots who accompanied her in the cockpit, and also BB-8, and said:

“Disregard that one.”

Her two companions were a young human boy with olive skin and penetrating-sapphire eyes and a togruta woman with orange skin and leather ties in the lekku tentacles emerging from her head. Both were students from her flying lessons, and because they didn’t have their own vessels, the two of them were assigned to co-piloting and artillery in the Falcon during the battle of Naboo, now that Chewbacca was in Chandrillia and Rose and Finn in Naboo.

“What happened, Master? I’ve never seen you make a mistake, like, ever…” said the boy, worried. Even though Rey told him a thousand times not to call her master, he kept doing it.

“We all make mistakes, Qit. It was nothing. I just felt a disturbance in the Force and got distracted. I’ll repeat the manoeuvre so you can see it clearly.”

“A disturbance in the Force? Awesome! I thought those things only happened in tales!”

“Don’t belittle the Force, boy. It’s something we have to respect,” said the togruta woman, whose name was Sakkako.

“Y―yes, sorry! No offence.”

“To tell you the truth, Qit, I didn’t believe in the Force until three months ago. But then things changed and… Now, please focus on the manoeuvre.”

Rey turned the engines on and distanced the Falcon from the cliff; to turn around and face it again, moments later. When they were in position, Rey accelerated and headed the ship towards the stone wall at full speed. Just before they reached it and the vessel was shattered, she pulled the switch to change the course in a sharp turn that left them stuck on their seats and threw BB-8 through the corridor with a beep of fright. Then, the Falcon travelled parallel to the wall until reaching the top and launched itself to the sky like a blaster shot.

“You have to do it quickly. No hesitation,” the young Jedi explained, while making a loop to stabilize the ship. “Wait as long as you can before changing course, but be sure you have time enough to do the manoeuvre. A slip-up and you’ll become space trash.”

“And how do you know when is the best time?”

“It’s all about practice. Start by letting a safety margin, and then gradually reduce it. We’ll do it once more and…”

Rey couldn’t finish the sentence. She was hit by the pulse of the Force again, like an avalanche that left her bent over the controls, breathless. This time, the feeling was stronger and Rey knew it wasn’t Kylo.

When she was able to sit up and look around, she found herself surrounded by darkness. She had no time to worry about herself, because at that very moment, the darkness turned into space: A bunch of First Order Star Destroyers approached a planet silently. Rey recognized it as Naboo because of its turquoise and the white stripes.

She let out an exclamation and then the vision took her to the planet itself, in a fast speed trip that made her fly through a mountain range, to a power station hide in one of its slopes. It was the second shield generator, and Finn, Rose and the rest of the party enjoyed dinner around a campfire warming the makeshift campsite, waiting for the start of the battle.

However, before Rey could react, an assault commando from the First Order appeared from nowhere catching them off-guard. It was a lethal attack, one by one they fell, astonishingly fast.

When there was only Finn, Rey tried to cross the distance that separated them, even though it was only a vision. Though she managed to reach him, the blaster shots passed through her and finished the young rebel’s life.

“No!!” she shouted, desperately, her eyes filled with tears.

When she finally sat up, she found herself laying on Qit’s lap, with BB-8 showing its steel rounded head over the boy’s shoulder. She looked around and discovered she was on the Falcon’s cockpit floor. Sakkako was at the controls of the ship, and judging by the view she glimpsed through the windows, they were heading to the encampment.

“Master, are you all right?” the boy asked, very concerned. “You scared us!”

“Y―yes, yes. I’m all right. Thank you, Qit. It was just… A vision” Rey explained, as she stood up. “I need to talk too General Poe without delay.”

“You got it” Sakkako answered. “We are on course to the base. We’ll be there soon.

 

 

The planet was called Schwer, a rocky place on the Chommell Sector, not far from Naboo. The rebel fleet had divided into small groups and each of them had been installed on an uninhabited planet away from the First Order monitoring, waiting for the fight to begin. Rey and the Falcon were part of the Blue Squad, under Captain Karell’s supervision.

When they arrived to the encampment, Rey left the ship in a hurry and went to the main tent, where the long range communication system had been installed.

“Where is Karell?” she asked to the commanding officer.

“She’s out training.”

“Then get me General Poe on the line, quickly.”

“Is something wrong?”

“Yes, I think so.”

Poe’s holo appeared on the communication table, short after.

“Rey, what’s the matter? They said you wanted a word with me, that it was important.”

“Poe, I had a vision. The First Order has brought forward the attack. I’m sure that they know we’re waiting for them on Naboo. We have to do something. Finn, Rose and the rest of the group are in danger. If we don’t, they’ll…” The memory of his friend, dying at the hands of stormtroopers, cut her soul like a laser-sword. She knew that it hadn’t happened yet. If it had, she would know. But she wasn’t sure when it would happen and how much time they had before the vision became true. It could happen at any time. “If we don’t do anything, the second generator will fall.”

“Was it him? He told you?”

The question was so out of place that it took her off-guard, and at first she didn’t understand what Poe meant. But when she did, anger invaded her like hot lava.

“No, bloody hell! I told you: I had a vision! Why do you bring that up suddenly?”

“Ok, ok. Sorry. I just thought that maybe he finally deigned to give us some information, never mind. We’ll send some troops to inspect the area and I’ll try to contact Finn, to see how things are going.”

“And that’s all?”

“Isn’t that enough?”

“I just told you that the First Order is going to advance the attack!”

“And that’s why I’m going to confirm it!”

Rey clenched her jaw and turned around to exit the tent without saying a word. She could hear the general’s voice on the holo, calling after her. But she wasn’t coming back nor obeying his orders. She was tired of Poe’s strategies and of the fact that he questioned all her decisions and warnings. The man turned a deaf ear to everyone that warned him, and then launched suicide missions causing many deaths. She would handle it herself if he wasn’t going to be helpful.

Qit, Sakkako and BB-8 were doing maintenance works on the Falcon when she got to them.

“How did it go? Couldn’t you talk to him?” Sakkako asked.

“Yes. But… I’m sorry, guys. I have something important to do and I need to take the Falcon. The battle is likely to star sooner than expected, so ask Captain Karell to relocate you two.”

They looked at each other, not understanding.

“But Master… We are your co-pilots,” said a baffled Qit.

“I know. And you are great companions. But you can’t come where I go. It’s a personal mission and I don’t want to put you in danger.”

“It doesn’t matter if we get in danger…!”

Qit’s voice stopped when Sakkako put a friendly hand on his shoulder. The boy turned to her as he listened:

“Don’t worry, Rey. We know what you do is for the sake of the Resistance. And we trust you. We will wait here for you, and, if you don’t come back, we’ll talk to Karell.”

“Thank you, Sakkako.”

“The Force is with you, young Jedi. I hope that it will guide you to bring balance to the Galaxy.”

Rey made a short bow with her head and then run to the Falcon, under the watchful eye of her companions.

“Quickly BB-8, or I’ll leave you here!”

 

 

She found the first control not far from Naboo, when they got out from hyperspace. She knew that they couldn’t avoid it or pose as random traders, so even before they stopped her, she shot one of the ships guarding the path and took advantage of the disorder to move forward to the planet at full speed.

Then she contacted the shield door station to seek help.

“This is the Millennium Falcon piloted by Rey of Jakku: Please, open the gates on behalf of the Resistance.”

“This is the Central Access from Naboo: You’ll have to wait. We need to verify your identity.”

“Damn the stars! We are being pursued by a First Order freighter!”

There was no answer and Rey grunted in annoyance while she tacked the Falcon down to avoid the planet. The other enemy ship, the one she hadn’t shot to, opened fire on them.

Rey manoeuvred in the void, feeling the enemy right behind her. The laser shots passed skimming the surface of the ship’s hull. She leaned on the co-pilots seat and tried to divert the shields to the back. Controlling the vessel alone was a tough work. After that, the Falcon made a detour again and faced the planet once more.

“BB-8, try to set up the canyons!” she told the droid, that was rolling on the cockpit, nervous, not knowing what to do.

She expected the fight to serve as an identification, and that the naboo would allow them safe access soon. Or her rescue plan would be ruined even before it started. But then, as if fate had listened to her silent plea, a familiar voice came from the ship’s communicator:

“Rey?”

“Finn!”

“Rey! Is it really you?”

“Finn, tell these people to let me come in! There’s a First Order freighter emptying their guns on me and I can’t avoid them much longer!”

For a moment that seemed an eternity, Rey kept avoiding the enemy attack. She did another loop, and two shells struck the Falcon, shaking it. But the damage wasn’t enough to stop them.

“How are those canyons going, BB-8?”

The droid answered with affirmative beeps and Rey traced two other spirals to finally carry out an evasive manoeuver, accompanied with some blaster shots that hit the target. After that, she faced the planet for the third time.

She thought she saw movement within the Central Access.

“Millennium Falcon?” That voice coming from the communicator confirmed her belief.

“Yes!”

“You have permission to enter Naboo. But hurry up before that First Order freighter comes after you.”

 

 

Rey sighted in relief when the Falcon entered the Naboo atmosphere, leaving behind her enemies and covered by the planet’s protection. She didn’t know how they’d made it.

“Rey, you all right?” the communicator spoke again. It was Finn.

“Yes, but that was cutting it close!”

“I’m so sorry! The bureaucracy of this place drives me crazy! They have to check everything a thousand times before they give you the go-ahead!”

Rey was relieved to hear her friend’s voice and to know he was all right. She was really afraid during the trip, imaging that the Force vision she had could become real at any time.

“Finn, the First Order knows you are here. You must be prepared. I―I had a vision and saw they were coming for you.” She felt tears trickle down her face. “I was so scared, I thought I wouldn’t be able to save you, as with Leia.”

“Shhh, it’s ok. We’re all right. We are safe.”

“I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear that. I got angry with Poe. He didn’t take me seriously when I told him. He only asked me about Kylo! So I disobeyed his orders and came straight here to warn you. I had to do it, Finn.”

“Thank you, Rey. I’m glad you did it. And I’m glad to have you here. I really missed you these days.”

“I missed you too. I set the course. I’ll be in the Gallo Mountains in no time.”

Rey leaned back in her pilot chair and sighted in relief as she turned her head to watch BB-8.

“It looks like everything went well, didn’t it? We saved Finn, Rose and the rest of our companions and we have prevented the First Order to bring down the shield.”

The droid nodded while rolling in the small cockpit.

“I feel like a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders, you can’t imagine. And no, I’m not mad at Poe, but… Well, yeah, maybe I am, ok? He hasn’t been good with me.”

BB-8 let its head fall forward, making a sad low-pitched noise.

“Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault. You know that… Hey, what’s that?”

Something caught Rey’s attention, beyond the cockpit windows.

When the girl reached forward to check what it was, she discovered a ship crossing the Naboo twilight sky. And something inside her warned it was an enemy ship heading towards the Gallo Mountains to finish her friends. Something she obviously wasn’t going to allow. She grabbed the controls once more and redid the Falcon’s course.

“BB-8, we have company. Hold tight,” she warned her friend. And, after that, she activated the communicator to call her allies again. “Finn, I think I’ve found the First Order troopers.”

“Where are you?”

“I― don’t know exactly. I’ll send you the coordinates. I’m going after them.”

“Rey, wait…!”

Finn was cut off before he could finish talking. Rey didn’t want anything to distract her. Not now. She raised the shields and sped up behind her enemies.

When the other vessel saw her, it made an evasive manoeuvre to escape. The enemy was pretty far, but the Falcon was faster and Rey knew for sure they would reach them sooner or later, because the Naboo shield was still working and they couldn’t leave the planet.

But, surprisingly, the vessel kept ascending in the Naboo sky with nothing stopping it, until it reached the upper part of the atmosphere and disappeared behind the shield.

“What just happened?” Rey asked loudly, to nobody in particular.

She wasn’t sure what she had just seen, maybe it was an optical effect to distract her. She piloted the Falcon until she reached the same point where the enemy ship had disappeared, and when she arrived she discovered someone had opened a gap in the shield using forceshield inhibitors.

“Dammit!” she shouted.

The hole wasn’t large, but enough for a transport vessel like the Millennium Falcon to pass through.

Rey kept going, crossing the gap, and when she finally left the atmosphere, she found the enemy ship on the radar. It had moved away and it would be difficult to reach it. Rey didn’t want to distance herself from Naboo, because her friends were still there and more stormtroopers could be waiting on the planet. Not to mention there was a hole in the shield and they had to fix it somehow. For all that, she decided the best she could do was to go back and inform the authorities about the gap.

However, the moment she started to turn the ship, the first Star Destroyer appeared from nowhere, with a massive noise that made her ears numb.

And it wasn’t the only one.

It was followed by another. And then another. And after that two more of them.

And before she could realise it, the space surrounding Naboo was full of hundreds of TIE fighters, coming from the bowels of the destroyers.

Rey felt a twitch in her stomach. She tried to speed up to reach the gap to go back to Naboo. Destroying the forceshield inhibitors seemed the only way to save the planet and prevent the enemy to enter. But before she achieved her goal, some TIE stood in her way.

“BB-8, the canyons, quickly!” she shouted, as she leaned over the co-pilot seat to take control from the Falcon’s shield. Enemies where everywhere and she couldn’t concentrate it on one point, she needed overall coverage, thought it was less effective.

When the canyons where ready, she opened fire on the TIE. One of them lost a wing and went in a flat spin and crashed to the Naboo shield. The other one returned fire and Rey had to make an evasive manoeuvre.

She grunted between teeth and took a look at the radar: they were completely surrounded. She kept firing to open a path between the enemies. She could do it; she had done it before; she was the best Falcon pilot ever. She just needed to focus.

She shot down some enemies and escaped from the canyons of many others. The Naboo shield was very close and salvation at hand. But then, a laser shot she hadn’t seen hit the side of the cockpit.

Rey shot out because she wasn’t wearing her seatbelt to have freedom of movement to bend over the co-pilot seat. She was slammed into the floor and the blow left her stunned. And because of that she didn’t see coming the next canyon shot, which made the cockpit rumble as if it were to explode. BB-8 rolled on the ground and Rey crashed against the wall, once more. The fuselage resisted but a metal plate that covered the inside of the cockpit came off and fell.

Rey’s heart-breaking shout filled the Falcon when the plate crushed her right arm and drove into her abdomen.

Trapped under the junk, Rey winced in pain and impotence.

She looked around searching for a way to escape, but she didn’t find one. The metal plate was too heavy to move and was deeply stuck in her body.

A random thought flashed into her mind: at least the TIE had stopped its attack. She tried to see what happened beyond the ship. What was that? Allie ships? She wanted to get out of there really bad.

She tried to use the Force to lift the plate, but the pain was so intense it clouded her mind and kept her from focusing. After a couple of tries, she closed her eyes and surrendered to the reality: She was going to die.

Her thoughts flew to Kylo. She realized she was afraid and she needed him by her side. Why did she push him away for so long?

“Ben…,” she whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Help me―please.”

And before the darkness of unconsciousness swallowed her completely, she thought she saw him materialising beside her and taking her in his arms.


	27. Teleport

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say congratulations to all the fanfic writers here in AO3 on winning the Hugo award for Best Related Work and to thank the platform for all the hard work they are doing for us! 🎉

# 27\. Teleport

 

 

When Kylo had finished his conversation with Yang Sook, his office communicator –the official one this time- lit up notifying an incoming call. He hastened to answer. The image of the communications technician of the war room appeared in front of him.

“What is it?” the Supreme Leader demanded.

“Your Highness, General Hux is mobilising the fleet.”

“To Naboo?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Have they deactivated the shield?”

“Not yet, sir.”

Kylo didn’t the obvious question, he already knew there was no answer. He had no idea what Hux was up to. Did he findnd the way to turn off the shield? Did he change the plan at the last moment? Whatever it was, Kylo wanted to keep an eye on him.

“I’ll be right there,” he told the technician, before he stood up and shut off the holo. He walked out into the corridor, adjusting his cape, as he thought about Hux’s new strategy.

But before he could get to the main door, something stopped him.

He turned around, carefully.

The Force vibrated around him, warning him, though he didn’t know about what exactly. Gradually, the feeling became clear and Kylo understood it was Rey. She was calling him. After all these days without hearing from her and given the situation, with the battle about to commence, it was a relief. Now he could give her heads-up about what was about to happen.

But he soon realized that something was _wrong_.

There was something strange about the calling and in the bond between them, like a painful and misty veil. He wasn’t used to be affected by feelings, except for anger. But when that sensation intensified and his heart skipped a beat, he got scared.

He looked around, searching for the girl. But he couldn’t find her. It was strange. That wasn’t the first time he had to search for her beyond the place where he was, but everything in this connection was unusual.

He let the Force guide him and walked through the corridor, with long steps. The places looked distant, like a set. And when he finally got to the end of the hall, the connection became stronger.

And he found her on the floor.

“Rey!” he exclaimed, kneeling beside her.

The girl had almost passed out, in a strange position. She opened her eyes slightly when Kylo put a hand on her cheek.

“Ben…,” she whispered, with no strength. “Help me―please.”

And then she fainted.

Kylo couldn’t remember the last time he was so scared. The world seemed to crash into a million pieces and his heart stopped inside his chest.

Moved by an impulse, because his rational part wasn’t working anymore, he tried to hold her. But something kept him from it. It was like the girl’s right arm was trapped, and there was blood on Rey’s clothes. She was injured.

His desperation grew. He couldn’t see what had happened to her, only her faded body; their Force bond only worked for them both, not for their surroundings, as always. And that meant he couldn’t do anything to help her, because they were separated by thousands of systems. Even if he took the first ship he found, it would take so long to get to her that by the time he arrived it would be too late.

“Do it.”

The voice surprised him.

He turned, and to his amazement, he found Luke Skywalker behind him. He felt a pinch of rejection going from head to toe, but he quickly understood that it wasn’t the real Luke, but a faded image of the Jedi Knight.

Like a… Ghost.

“Luke,” Kylo said, surprise making him forget about mistrust.

“Do it, or she’ll die.”

“Do what?!” he muttered, angrily.

“Use the Force to go with her.”

Kylo frowned.

“Did death mess up your brain? Nobody can do that!”

“Of course it can be done, you stupid and naïve padawan. And if someone is able to do it it’s you.”

“Don’t call me that!” a furious Kylo shouted, burning to draw his lightsaber and jump on Luke’s ghost. However, deep down he knew it would be pointless. If he did so, what happened on Crait would repeat, as would his embarrassment. So, he turned his back to the ghost and tried to calm down, while thinking about what Luke had told him.

He vaguely recalled reading about Force teleportation on the Jedi Texts. It was an ability more typical of Siths, however some Jedi Knights had mastered the technique too. To carry it out, a great power and great concentration were needed. But in practical terms, the one thing necessary was to know the place of destiny.

“Where is she?”

“In the Falcon.”

The name hit him. The memory of his father’s vessel entered strongly in his mind, and the events of the last few months danced in front of his eyes: Han’s death, but also Leia’s; that time when he visited the Falcon, in Starkiller Base; the day Rey left, leaving him alone. And with each new memory, his heart broke a little bit more.

He drew a heavy breath and focused again on the girl, still half raised in his arms. He tensed just looking at her: she was pale, and her breath was becoming slower with each passing minute.

He needed to hurry.

Kylo clung to her body, as if it was a lifeboat in the middle of a storm, and then began to cast his mind to the cockpit, imaging the pilot and the co-pilot seats, the controls and the joysticks, and also the gold dice hanging from the ceiling.

In doing so, the good memories he believed forgotten also came back, like when his father and Chewbacca where the ones occupying those positions and he sat on their laps to watch the ship fly. But he didn’t get attached to those thoughts and let them trough, as distant stars.

And then, all the furniture began to take shape in front of him: the seats, the controls, the dice. And the feeling of Rey’s closeness became so intense that the corridor surrounding him disappeared and was replaced by a dark and beat-up cockpit.

He wasn’t even surprised when he found himself inside the ship, as if what he did wasn’t a great feat achievable only for the more experienced Jedi.

He looked over his shoulder to discover that Luke’s ghost wasn’t there anymore. It didn’t matter, he wasn’t going to thank him.

Then he focused, looking at the girl again. Now he could see what had trapped her: part of the Falcon’s fuselage had fallen on her.

“Damn it,” he muttered, using the Force to free the girl.

She winced in pain, still unconscious.

After that, Kylo examined her wounds verifying that they were deep. He needed to find the way to heal her. He looked around. Outside, a battle was taking place and he knew it was that of Naboo. They had to get out of there as soon as possible. Kylo was hoping that the damage suffered on the vessel hadn’t affected the functioning.

A shadow coming from the corridor put him on guard, but he quickly realized it was Poe Dameron’s droid.

“You,” he whispered.

When he saw him, BB-8 launched a litany of scared beeps in response.

“I won’t hurt her. Who do you think has been protecting her all this time?”

BB-8 tilted his upper half circumference.

“I must get this garbage out of here and I need you to take care of her, you hear me?”

Kylo took Rey in his arms and carried her to the main hold to lay her body in the bunk of the back. BB-8 followed him closely and stayed beside him. He beeped hesitant about its null medical skills.

“I don’t care if you don’t have medic programming. Just… watch her.”

BB-8 nodded and then Kylo went back to the cockpit.

When he arrived, he froze for a moment, looking at the seats and the space beyond. Taking the pilot’s place, he realized he hadn’t taken over the controls of that ship for years. So many that it felt like another life.

Perhaps it was.

Outside, the fight was worsening. The rebel ships came all around and the crossfire turned the eternal night into a meteor shower. Kylo wondered what was Hux thinking and what was his goal, because it seemed clear to him that the Naboo shield wouldn’t fall and the surprise factor had already gone to waste. Was his objective to massacre the rebels? If it was, he was obviously failing.

It didn’t matter now.

He remembered the General had used a hole in the shield to introduce his stormtroopers into the planet, and he was planning on using it too. He looked at the map and discovered that they were close to the hole. Landing on the planet seemed the only way to save Rey, because he didn’t know the rebels’ base location and, on the other hand, he wasn’t sure that she could endure a several hours’ journey to Apoptiona in her state. Not to mention that if he took her there, she would be in danger. In any case, he knew a place in Naboo where he could find what they needed.

He started the engines. There was a loss of power in the main reactor, so he redirected part of the power used by the shields. He heard shots fired and a rebel vessel passed very close to the Falcon, followed by two TIE Starfighters.

And one of them turned around to face them.

Kylo checked the front cannons: they couldn’t be used anymore.

So, he did the only think he could do. He sped up and flied through it. The Falcon lurched because with the shields at minimum power the hit affected them directly. But they remained in one piece.

Then, he set the course to the planet’s shield hole, lasers still buzzing around them.

 

 

His mother once told him his grandparents had lived in the Lake Country for a while. At that time, Kylo didn’t know his grandparents’ true identity. That’s why the memory of two people his mother and uncle hadn’t even got to know was everything but important to him.

But when some time later he discovered the truth and put it together, he found out that the place that Leia mentioned was, in fact, Varykino, a villa property of the Naberrie family.

His years of service to the First Order provided him with much knowledge about the Galaxy to develop new fighting strategies. Naboo had been in Snoke crosshairs for long and Kylo learned a lot about the planet to satisfy him. He discovered that after his grandmother Padmé Amidala’s death nobody visited Varykino again. And despite Pooja Naberrie –the last member of the family, his distant cousin- beingstill alive, she hadn’t claimed the place as her own and the villa became a sort of mausoleum to remember Amidala herself.

All that, coupled with the fact that the Lake Country was far enough from the capital for a ship flying over to go unnoticed, turned the villa into the perfect place to hide. The only inhabitants of the zone were farmers who didn’t care about what happened out of the planet, not even what happened out of their farms.

Luckily, no one followed them when they entered the planet’s atmosphere. Kylo wanted to destroy the forceshield inhibitors to prevent any incursion of his people. But the cannons weren’t working. Maybe the Resistance could take care of the problem. It was the only way to save Naboo.

It wasn’t difficult to find the villa, nor the airstrip. The place was equipped with a hangar large enough for the Falcon to fit onto it, which ensured that no one could discover them from the air.

Carrying Rey and with BB-8 following him closely, he headed to the large house now practically abandoned. The furniture was still in its place, the curtains still hanging on the windows and the carpets still warmed the floor. But everything was covered with dust.

He looked for the electric generator and felt relieved to discover that it was still working. When he switched it on, the house droids initiated too and a service and protocol unity approached him at the foot of the main stairs.

“Good morning. I am Villa Varykino’s head butler. How may I help you?”

“Do you have medical service in the house?”

“We do have a medical droid and a bacta tank.”

“Where?” Kylo pressed.

“In the west wing, next to the… Hey! Excuse me!”

Kylo walked away, leaving the droid it the middle of a word.

The west wing had a long hallway, where he found several rooms with the doors closed, a bathroom and a medical room. He had supposed the villa would have one, something relatively normal in the wealthy homes placed far from the capital, because sometimes the bacta tank was the only way to save the tenants’ life of any unforeseen event.

Inside the room he found the medical droid, which greeted him by normal procedure.

“Check if the bacta is in good shape” Kylo ordered, laying Rey on the table. The bacta patch that BB-8 had applied to her wounds was covered in red. “Quick!” he demanded, more to ease his frustration than because the droid wasn’t doing his job well.

The medical droid obeyed and went to work on the tank controls. In a few minutes, the tank was illuminated and started filling with slimy and bubbly blue liquid.

“Everything in order, sir. The bacta is in good condition and the tank fully operational.”

“And what are you waiting for? Heal her.”

The droid scanned the girl’s body to determine the extent of her injuries.

“Diagnostic: liver puncture, colon affectation, humeral fracture, laceration of the biceps and triceps. Treatment: immersion in bacta for a minimum period of twelve hours and posterior evaluation. She will probably need a second immersion after that. Please, undress the patient.”

Kylo did as he was asked and then the droid put body sensors on Rey to control her vital sings.

“Now, introduce her in the tank.”

Once more, the Knight obeyed. He took Rey in his arms again and took her to the glass container. With the droid’s help, they placed the breathing machine on her mouth and then put her inside the slimy liquid. After that, Kylo let the droid seal it and activate the medical machine in control of the liquid flow and Rey’s vitals.

Only then, the Knight allowed himself to lean against the glass container, and the adrenalin coursing through his veins since the moment he heard the call evaporated. All the tiredness, the fear and the frustration fell upon him like a stone.

Next to him, BB-8 made some pitiful beeps. The droid had been silently waiting all that time. And Kylo surprised himself saying: “She’ll be fine.”

 

 

While waiting for the twelve hours to go by, Kylo explored the large house to find a place   to rest. He also had to get ready in case Hux eventually managed to disable the shield and access to the planet. In all likelihood, the villa wouldn’t be one of the first objectives, but it was better to be prepared.

He found the dormitories in the east wing. As the rest of the house, a layer of dust covered everything. Kylo told the droid butler to condition one of the bedrooms and then he went to the Falcon to check the extent of the damage while gathering his thoughts. He was unsure about the development of the battle, but judging by the silence reigning all over, Hux’s ships hadn’t found the way to enter Naboo yet.

However, something concerned him even more: now, he couldn’t get back to the First Order whatever the outcome of the conflict.

He wasn’t even thinking about the implications of his choice when he threw himself through the Force to rescue her; instinct dragged him, and he didn’t resist. But, even though he would do it again in a heartbeat, only now he realized the real weight of his choice.

He, the Supreme Leader of the First Order, had disappeared without a trace in the middle of one of the most important battles of the war. Hux would now have all the evidences to prove him guilty of passing information to the Resistance. Moreover, he would use that information to turn the Knights of Ren against him, something Kylo couldn’t help because he couldn’t justify his running. And without the Knights by his side (except for Yang Sook), he would have lost any alliances bounding him to the First Order.

He felt empty. A failiure.

Becoming the Supreme Leader had been his goal for a long time, and he had always thought that to reach it would give meaning to his life. He thought that the position would offer him the opportunity to change things and to transform the Galaxy into a more honest and just place, where dogmas of the Jedi religion and their heirs –the Republic- ceased to be an obstacle to the policies that would make the life of ordinary people easier.

But it didn’t turn out the way he expected. Now he wasn’t even sure the First Order could become the weapon of change he had imagined. Though he approved of a certain amount of violence in pursuit of a larger end, Hux’s ideology was constellations away from his own. One only had to look at what he did in Hosnian Prime, for the sheer pleasure of spreading terror and destruction; something he didn’t approve of. Hux wasn’t looking for Galaxy domination to give the worlds a better system, but to use tyranny for his own benefit and personal pleasure.

And since Kylo hadn’t defeated Hux from the inside the First Order, because most of the admirals and high command shared the General’s vision, he realized that there was no place for him in the organization anymore.

And if the First Order was the only thing he had, that meant now he didn’t have anything left.


	28. A hand to hold on to

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear readers,
> 
> I want to apologise about the irregular updates lately, but it's a little complicated for me to follow a schedule. So, from now on, I'll be updating as soon as I have the new chapter ready. The story has 39 chapters, so there are still 10 chapters tu publish. I hope you enjoy them <3

# 28\. A hand to hold on to

 

Rey half-opened her eyes, still dazed, and looked around.

The place looked like a room, but the luxurious décor made it look more like a fantasy place than anything else. She was lying on a four-poster bed, from where light grey fabric hung; the sheets, soft as if they were woven with air. Warm coloured carpets covered the floor all over the room, and carved wood furniture -instead of synthetic one-with whimsical shapes she had never seen before was distributed around the place.

For a moment, embraced by the warmth of the place, she felt she could fall asleep again if she closed her eyes. But then she realized somebody was sitting next to the bed and that woke her up completely.

It was Kylo.

The Knight had fallen asleep on the couch, his head titled ever so slightly to one side. It could not be said there was calm in his features, but he seemed to enjoy the rest, at least.

“Ben?”

At the mention of his name, he sat up, awakened from his reverie.

“Rey.”

“What are you doing here. Where are we?”

“We are in Naboo, in a place called Varykino.”

“In Naboo…?” she started.

But then, the memory of what happened in the Falcon’s cockpit came back to her. And she saw herself, trapped under the junk, not knowing what to do or who to call. She also remembered that her last and desperate thought was of him.

Shocked, she tried to get out of bed. But then she felt a great pain hitting her right arm and also her abdomen. Kylo forced her to lie down again.

“Don’t get up. Your wounds haven’t healed yet.”

“I… I was in the Falcon. And you? You were inside one of those ships?”

“No, I was in Apoptiona, in the First Order base. But you called me and I used the Force to get to you.”

“The Force? How? Well, never mind, I have to… I have to call Finn. I need to know what happened during the battle and if the second generator withstood the attack. They might be all in danger.”

“I don’t think anything happened to them if they were in charge of the generator. We’ve been here nearly an entire day and there’s been no trace of ships. In all probability, Hux failed in bringing down the shield and the planet resisted the attack.”

Rey doubted the Knight’s words.

“But there was a fight out there… And the future of the Resistance could be in danger.”

“Well, call them if you need to. But I ask you to keep me out of this.”

Then he got up from the couch where he had been sitting, intending to leave.

Rey felt a wave of panic.

“Hey, Ben, wait. Where are you going? Are you going back to the First Order?”

“Going back?” he said, like it was funny. “I cannot go back. I deserted my post as the First Order’s Leader to come save you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s all right, you don’t owe me anything for helping you. You can leave whenever you want, I won’t stop you. The Falcon is out there, inside the hangar. She has some damages, but it won’t be a problem for you.”

“But… what are you gonna do?”

“I don’t know yet. I guess I’ll stay here and figure out a way to get to Hux. Right now, there’s nothing keeping me from killing him when our paths meet again. But don’t worry about me, I can take care of myself.” Saying that, he began to walk to the door, but before leaving, he turned to add a frugal: “I guess you’ll be hungry, I’ll get some food.”

With a knot in her stomach, Rey stared at the door Kylo had crossed. Although had been waiting so long for this moment to come, for Kylo to leave the First Order, she now she realized something was terribly wrong. It wasn’t the way it was supposed to happen. Kylo’s choice about his future shouldn’t have been based on a deal breaker, much less one involving her.

But, what else could she do? He made it clear that he wouldn’t join the Resistance. In any case, Rey wasn’t sure she could offer him a place with the rebels after what happened with Poe.

She bit her thumb, thoughtful.

But then something got her attention. BB-8 was waiting next to the door, along with a domestic droid.

“BB-8!” she cried joyfully when seeing him. “Are you all right?”

The spherical droid took that as an invitation to get closer and rolled fast through the bed, beeping with a mix of joy, concern and relive.

“Easy, easy. It’s all right. Don’t worry” she said to him, patting his rounded head.

Then, when BB-8 had calmed down, Rey turned to the other droid.

“And you are…?”

“Good night, my lady. HI-55, head butler from the villa of Varykino, at your service,” the droid said, getting closer too.

“Five-five, isn’t it? Nice to meet you. Hey, I have a question, Five-five can you connect to the HoloNet?”

“Of course, my lady. What do you wish to see? Historic documents? A HoloNovel?”

“Can you show me some information about the battle that took place yesterday? From Naboo sources, if possible.”

“Right now, my lady. According to official reports, after a bloody confrontation between the First Order and a rebel group, the First Order withdrew from the battlefield. It was all thanks to the splendid intervention of Poe Dameron, leader of the Resistance, who organized a surprise attack to take unaware the enemy and took down two Star Destroyers. That frightened the enemy and made them ran away.”

Rey bit her lip. Kylo was right in his suspicions.

“Ok. Thank you, Five-five.”

“You are very welcome, my lady. Do you need something else?”

“No, that’s it. Well, wait. There’s something...” She looked to BB-8. “Do you thing you can contact Finn? But I need it to be a safe connection, I don’t want them to be able to trace the call.”

BB-8 turned to HI-55 and gave it the appropriate technical indications.

“Oh. Yes, ma’am,” Hi-55 nodded. “It can be done. But I have no access to personal communicators, only official ones.”

“Then try with the Government of Naboo. I don’t have identification codes, but I’m sure that if you tell them that I’m Rey of Jakku, who landed yesterday with the Millennium Falcon before the battle, they’ll recognize me.”

After some efforts by the droids, the holo image of a communications technician told them they had been successful. She had to attend tones of bureaucracy to confirm her identity, which almost made her loose her temper on several occasions, but then, at last, Finn appeared in front of her.

“Rey!” The young rebel couldn’t believe it was her. “Oh my, Oh my! For all the planets and the galaxy’s sake!”

“Finn.”

“I can’t believe you are all right!”

“Finn!”

“I was so worried. Well, we all were. You just disappeared and there was no trace of the Falcon. We thought that TIE just fired and…!”

“Finn, listen to me!”

“Oh, yes, yes. Sorry. It’s just…”

“I know. And I’m sorry. It’s been… It’s been crazy.”

“Where are you and what happened?”

“In fact, a TIE fighter attacked me. But Ben saved me.”

“Ben? Ben-Kylo-Ren?”

“No, Ben Kenobi.”

“It’s not funny”

“Then stop fooling around. Of course I’m talking about Kylo Ren! Who else could it be? I don’t get why you keep being surprised at this point.”

“Yes, of course. Sorry. But why did it took you so long to call us?”

“I’ve been in a bacta tank since yesterday. I think I broke my arm, or something.”

“I never thought I’d said this, but I need to give my thanks to that dude.”

“You’ll do, but now I need you to tell me what happened in the fight. Did we win?”

“If you wanna call it that. We managed to protect the Naboo shield and keep away the First Order from the planet. But at what cost! It turns out that there was a gap in the shield, but I guess you know that because we found it thanks to the Falcon’s last position. The point is that Poe contrived them to keep the enemy fleet busy while we took care of the forceshield inhibitors. But then…”

“But then he got a taste of war and couldn’t stop anymore, right?”

Finn grimaced, but nodded.

“Yeah. There have been heavy losses. Tons of them. Almost one third of our troops. And they were all we have, while the five Star Destroyers from the First Order were only a small part of theirs.”

Rey clenched her jaw.

“They retired, at the end. But I’m sure they did because of some hidden agenda, not because we were cornering them. They were superior to us, and if they had kept the fight till the end, they would have crushed us.”

“And what now?”

“I’m not really sure. It seems we are regrouping in Arado. I think that Poe and Connix have been organizing some sort of paramilitary fleet and want to make a deal for the war. Poe was seeking support from influential rulers inside the armament world, but I don’t know what he’s up to exactly. I’m a little worried, Rey.”

“I can imagine.”

“I hope you’ll get back soon. Maybe he’ll listen to you and you can convince him this isn’t the way and it never was. The General could keep him in line, but now that she’s gone…”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I’m not coming back.”

“What?”

“I―I need to take care of something.”

“What is more important than saving the Resistance?”

“In fact, I think this is the only thing I can do to save the Resistance. So I’m asking you to trust me. And to wait for me.”

 

 

Kylo was on the bedroom when Rey came back.

“I went to… get a shower” she explained. “I was all sticky because of the bacta, you know. Besides, Five-five insisted that the medical droid wanted to check my wounds. It has put a bandage on me to make sure I heal completely” she showed the bandage on her arm as proof.

She was a bit nervous to share that daily moment with him. It was the first time they did something as worldly as sleep, take a shower or eat together. Also, she was aware about the strange atmosphere between them. Their last meet in the Force ended with a fight and, after that, they hadn’t spoke for three long weeks, which didn’t make communication easy. All that without taking into account what happened a while ago, when she woke up.

Almost immediately she felt Kylo’s curious gaze on her, which instantly pulled her away from her concerns. She looked at herself and felt ridiculous with the dress HI-55 offered her: it was comfortable and practical, but it had nothing to do with the stark clothes she was used to. In fact, it was so soft it seemed any rough movement would tear it apart. Not to mention that the only thing Rey had worn aside from rags in her entirely live, were those functional clothes she got on the Resistance.

“This really isn’t like you,” Kylo mentioned.

“I know,” she answered jumpy, not knowing where to put her hands. Why didn’t this damn thing have any pockets? Didn’t the people of Naboo use them? “Five-five told me my clothes were shattered, and the medical robe didn’t seem the right thing for me. I’ll go to the Falcon later, to get some more clothes. I don’t want to mess this up.”

“You can relax if that’s what bothers you. I doubt that anybody has use pf it anymore.”

“Why?”

“This place has been empty for decades and nobody will claim it.”

“That’s too bad!”

Then Rey noticed Kylo was heating something in a pot on the fireplace, and a sudden rumbling came from her stomach.

“What’s that?” she asked, sitting in the lower couch next to the fire.

“There wasn’t much on the pantry, so I improvised with what I found on the surroundings.”

“Can you cook?”

He frowned.

“What’s so strange about that?”

“Nothing.”

“My missions under Snoke’s command took me to places you’ll never imagine. And in my years of Jedi student I had to take care of my own food,” he said, removing the pot from the heat and putting it on the floor, in front of her. Then, he also sat on a lower couch.

“You don’t look like a good cook.”

“You don’t look like a good pilot either.”

“That remains to be seen,” Rey assured. And then took a big scoop of food and crammed it into her mouth, because she had to recognize the stew smelled really good and she was starving.

“You are going to burn yourself.”

“ _Dong borry, I’m useg to ig,_ ” she said with her mouth full.

Somehow, it made Kylo smile.

“Hey! You just... smiled?”

“Is that so strange?”

“Actually, yeah. I wish you did it more often.”

“I wish I had more reason to do so.”

“You have them now.”

She smiled, and in doing so, she felt that pair of black eyes observing her in detail. She felt them on her eyes, also on her nose and on the freckles splashed on her cheeks, as if they were sand of Jakku; and finally she felt them on her lips, making her conscious about that part of her body, like it was burning.

She kept eating silently for a while, trying to ignore his look and her own embarrassment in an attempt to make the nervousness disappear. The food was better than she expected, or maybe starvation was making her think that way. In front of her, Kylo took his time. There was some kind of sadness in his eyes and Rey wondered if it had anything to do with all that had happened.

“I’m sorry I’ve ignored you all this days, but I was upset.”

“I know. But I didn’t like it.”

“Neither did I how you manipulated me in Chandrillia.” 

“I can’t I regret it, because I did it to protect you. But I won’t do it again.”

“That’s good to hear.”

He smiled slightly in response.

“The truth is… I’ve really missed,” she said.

Kylo stared at her.

“Even though part of me was still furious for what you did, all I wanted was to see you again.”

“I tried to call you, but you never answered.”

“I know. But I didn’t feel prepared to talk.”

“Till you called.”

“Till I called.”

“I just thought I was going crazy when I found you injured, Rey.”

She felt him holding her hand tightly inside his. She sensed the touch of the Knight’s fingers, strong, but also vulnerable, the same way she had felt them on Kagurall. And then remembered the way she asked him for help in the Falcon.

He came halfway across the Galaxy to rescue her, only because she asked so. That simple truth made her heart pound inside her chest.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

And in a mere instant, he leaned close to her and kissed her.

The cosy and wet rubbing of their lips made her shudder. She closed her eyes to focus, and kissed him back. The touch was so soft she trembled. She kissed and let him kiss her, feeling a warm sensation filling her chest, like she was floating on a cloud.

“I thought I lost you,” Kylo purred, leaving her lips. “I thought…”

“I thought it too,” she answered.

And then she leaned over him to hold him, to take shelter in those arms between which it seemed that nothing wrong could happened. This time she wouldn’t leave his refuge, not again.

“Do you know who helped me save you?” he said, without turning away from her.

The first person she thought was Yang Sook Mi. However, she forced herself to ask: “Who?”

“Luke.”

Rey jumped.

“What?” she asked, turning from him to look him in the eyes.

“His ghost appeared to me when I was desperate not knowing what to do. I guess you heard that when a Jedi master dies they become one with the Force and their soul and essence develops the ability to appear in the world of the living.”

“I didn’t know. I’ve never heard anything like that.”

“So that is what happened. It was him who reminded me some Jedi and Sith had used the Force teleport before.”

“And how did you do it?”

“I just did it. But I’m sure fear had a lot to do with it.”

“So… It is a Dark Side power?”

“That’s not how I see it. It was fear of loss. So you can also say it was love.”

Kylo didn’t say those words in any special way; he just noted a fact. However, Rey’s heart skipped a beat. The Knight had said love… And even though she already knew the existence of this feeling between them, to hear it from his lips made her shiver.

She made eye contact again, sharing a silence and accomplice gaze with him as she bitted her lip.

“Ben, I―I want to tell you that I’m not going back to the Resistance. I’m staying with you.”

“You don’t have to and I’m not going to ask you a second time.”

“I’m not doing it because you ask it of me. The truth is, I do not agree with the Resistance and the way they are doing things. I don’t like what Poe is doing and I know there is another way to stop the war. And you know it too.”

He didn’t answer.

“The first time you asked me to join you I knew you wanted to change things. But you chose the wrong way, like the Resistance is doing now. That’s why I want to ask you… for you to be the one joining me. Not the Resistance; at least, not the existing one. I want to bring a new balance to the Galaxy. With no Jedi monopolising the Force, but also with no authoritarian government killing people in cold blood. But I don’t know how to do it. I don’t have the power and knowledge required. Also, you said it yourself: I need a teacher and I want it to be you.”

Beside him, Rey offered him her hand, in a similar way she did back then in Ahch-To; in the same way the Knight did on the _Supremacy_. Kylo hesitated, and for what felt like an eternity he looked at her quietly. However, after that, he also offered his to meet hers halfway.

The first touch was shaky, like they were caressing the surface of a mirror where they could see each other reflected. But then their fingers interlaced. They shared a look for a while, before kissing each other passionately in a gesture it was impossible to determine who had started.

 

 


	29. Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **WARNING**
> 
> This chapter contains **SMUT**. If you don't like this kind of things, you can skip it. The main story follows after the asteriks, so you can take up from there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! How are you?  
> I'm sad to announce that my co-translator Ranchel will be no longer helping me with the translation, because of personal issues. I want to thank her for her great help. She had done an incredible work.  
> Spite of that, I think that I've made progress with my translation skills over the past few months and the reading won't be that awful 😂 Anyway, if you find anything missing or any mistake on the text, please tell me so I can fix it.  
> I hope you all are enjoying the story. I'll try to update more often to finish it as soon as possible.  
> Thanks for reading!

# 29\. Future

 

Kylo looked the hand Rey was offering to him and thought about how much things had changed lately, so that the girl was now the one asking him to join her.

At first, he didn’t know what to do. Until a moment before, he was sure he had lost everything, even her, and that she would end up by returning to the Resistance, leaving him behind.

But the situation took an unexpected turn with her words. Because Rey didn’t offer him to join the resistance, _but her_. And that opened a whole new dimension.

A chill went up and down through his body when their fingertips touched, and grow up when their fingers interlaced and also when their gaze met. It wasn’t only the physical sensation, but the feeling of acceptance that came along with it. Maybe, after all, there was a place for him in the Galaxy; even though it didn’t exist yet and they had to create it from scratch. But he was sure that it would be much easier with Rey by his side.

He felt the sudden urge to kiss her and he did not resist it. To his surprise, she had the same idea and they met halfway. The result wasn’t a hesitant kiss, but a hungry one, and soon their lips half-opened to explore the other’s mouth, mixing their breaths and letting their tongues to tangle.

Kylo put his hands on Rey’s face and slid his fingers in her hair. She hadn’t fix it with the usual bunds after the shower, and he could stroke it unimpeded, feeling in his skin the silken flow.

“Your hair is so soft…” he purred on her lips, head titled to the side to rub her cheek with his.

“It isn’t the only soft thing I have” she answered.

And, surprising him, she took his hands and put them on her breast. Kylo’s fingers trembled when perceiving the soft touch under the fabric. A deep sound came from his throat and he turned away from her to look at her.

Rey’s dress had a V-shaped collar falling over her neckline, which provided a glimpse of the upper part of her chest and the bands covering it. It was like an invitation. The detail, unnoticed before, became obscenely suggestive now and made him crazy.

Suddenly, the room was on fire and his skin with it.

At first, he stroked her dubiously, feeling her pressing hands on his forearms. But hesitation melt with the heat and then daring emerged. He lost himself in the touch of her breasts, trying to steal a gasp from her with each new movement, repeating the same sound she made when hearing it, as if that way he could made it his. Then, he slowly went down with his hands, running through her body, until reaching the ribbon that fastened the dress on her waist, and untied it.

Now the V-shaped collar was wide open, stimulating Kylo’s imagination. He fantasized about the shape of the breast under the bands, the colour of her nipples and the freckles spread over them. And each new detail coming to his mind made him felt more and more exited.

But he didn’t have much time to enjoy such daydreams, because Rey pulled him close and kissed him again. First on his lips, then on the chin and finally on his neck. They melted like the snow under the spring sun. Heat softened their bodies and wetness stretched over their skin.

Without knowing how exactly, they stood up from the couches next to the fireplace and stumbled back to the bed, not even taking off their lips from each other. On the way remained Rey’s dress and also the upper part of Kylo’s gala uniform.

Sitting at the edge of the bed, the Knight could see how Rey undressed completely, taking off the remain garments. Only the bandage that the medical droid had put on her injured arm stayed.

And when she was naked, Kylo ecstatic looked at her and raised a hand to touch her, as if that way he could assure she was real and not a vision. He caressed her side, her abdomen –the place where she was injured-, her navel, and also the valley between her breasts and her collarbone. He reached her lips and traced them with his thumb, sensing how Rey’s tongue poked between her teeth searching for him. That launched waves of pleasure going down his spine and spreading over his body.

“This is so strange…” barely he said between two of those waves.

“What is it?”

“You. This. Us.”

“Maybe… But I just want to be with you.”

That was also what he wanted, even though he didn’t say so. Instead, he took her by the back of her head and pulled closer to kiss her, while his hands joined a journey through her body, now downward. He stopped by her chest to steal some moans from her by tracing circles on her nipples and pinching them; then, he reached the hair growing at the end of the way that started under her navel.

At that point he stopped, feeling confused, because those were uncharted waters. However, she came to his rescue and showed him how he should make his way, where the pleasure point was and how he had to touch it.

And so did he.

Rey panted, and now and then also moaned. Her hips moved with an accelerating rhythm, and the warmth became suffocating. Kylo slipped the free arm around her waist and pulled her closer, to hide his head between her breasts, without ceasing to move his fingers between the folds of skin.

Till at some point, Rey took her own hand on his and pressed it hard against her pussy. The Knight felt how the girl’s body tensed inside the hug and a freeing moan escaped from her mouth, as she became a rag doll in his arms.

The idea that everything was over appeared in his mind, but Rey surprised him launching herself to his mouth and pulling him on the bed, panting. She unbuttoned his pants and make them disappear along with the underwear, without even stopping the kiss. And that, far from making him shiver from cold, submerged him even more down on the blazing sun the whole room had become.

From that point, Kylo stopped thinking. It was a strange feeling, because he was used to have everything under control. But now, lying on the bed, with Rey over him, he could not focus on anything but the sensations she awaked on his body.

She bit him on his shoulder, and stroke him on the chest. She licked his lips and then sucked his throat. Her hands and mouth were everywhere: on his arms and legs, on his thighs, on his stomach and on his dick. And the only thing he was able to do under those circumstances was to give in. Even though the feeling was sometimes stifling, he couldn’t say it was unpleasant.

He tried occasionally to return the touches or to imitate them, but he quickly lost the rhythm, too busy to enjoy the attentions received. He told himself it was because of the heat, but he already knew the true was that being at her mercy was too pleasant.

But all changed when she sat astride on his dick, letting him to penetrate her, something he didn’t see coming. Kylo moaned, stunned, but also enthralled, knowing he was inside her.

He opened his eyes, to delight with the vision of Rey, naked on top of him: wild hair, eyes shining, skin glowing. Almost instantly, he pulled her closer to roll over the mattress and lay her down on the pillows. On the new position, he started moving his hips, trying not to be too rough.

In any case, he asked, worried: “Are you all right? Does it hurt?”

She shook her head, eyes narrowed.

“Just do it a little slower. Yeah, like this…” she panted and bit her lip.

Pleasure was everywhere and Kylo took his lips to the hole between Rey’s collarbones, as if by doing so he could have a grip point to reality.

Orgasm knocked him down a little later, and he thought he would fall like a tree. But Rey moved under his body, pleading a _don’t stop_ and sliding her own hand to the same point he had been stroking not long ago. So he retook the rhythm, embracing her, running his fingers through her hair and biting her neck. Until she arched under his body and looked for his lips to kiss them once more and until down.

 

*******

 

Sunbeams shined in from the windows and from the balcony door when Kylo woke up. He took his forearm to his eyes to cover them, because the morning light was hurting them.

He looked around to relocate and saw Rey was no longer in the bedroom. He did not surprise, since judging by the sun position it was almost noon. He felt amazed by the strange ability he had developed to fall asleep whenever she was by his side. It had never happened before.

He got up from bed and took the clothes lying all over the floor, to put it back on. He urgently needed a shower.

The head butler droid was waiting for him in the corridor and Kylo almost walked into him when he left the room.

“Good morning, sir,” greeted the droid, attentive.

“Where is Rey?”

“The lady is training on the backyards.”

By listening the answer, Kylo decided the shower could wait and headed to the right place.

Even though the backyards should have been a splendid place once, now it looked like a mixture of brush and architecture in a poor condition. The terraces were covered by moss, the gardeners were empty of flowers and some ornamental structures, like the arches and domes drawing avenues on the garden, had fell due to inclement weather, becoming now a ton of runes.

Rey was training with her saber-staff in a cobblestoned small plaza presiding the site like a meeting point. She had changed the dress from the night before to a pair of knee pants and a sleeveless shirt with a leather belt, looking more like herself. BB-8 was with her, but when he realized the Knight had arrived, beeped. However, Kylo asked him to keep quiet with a gesture and the droid remained silent.

Thereby, Kylo observed the girl without indicating his presence, analysing her movements and watching her swiping the light blade in the air with a technic that reminded him of his own. She wasn’t doing too badly, but she was very impatient and impulsive; and also reckless.

“You must balance your body and let your hip guide the movement.”

Rey jumped and turned around to find him next to the bushes.

“How long have you been there?” she asked.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he approached to her and put his hands on her shoulders, and then on her waist to relocate her posture. After that, he put his arms around her from behind to take the staff she was holding, and moved along with Rey to show her how to do the movement.

“Do it with all your body when you move forward.”

“I’ve been doing this all my life. I think I know the procedure.”

“But you didn’t have a master that showed you the right technic. And because of that you drag bad habits that handers effectiveness.”

She did not say a thing and Kylo imagined he had convinced her; or maybe she just didn’t want to argue with him. Sometimes it was quite difficult to understand the girl’s silent.

“Try again,” he commanded, making room for her to move. “Use both hands when protecting yourself from the enemy attack. Twirl the staff and pull yourself up with a horizontal cut when you see a gap in the strike. But don’t stop right there. Trace a full circle and return to the defensive position or you’ll open a hole in the flank from where it will be easy to attack you.”

Rey obeyed and repeated the movements a few times, under his gaze. When she finished, satisfied about what she had learned, she turned to him with a bemused expression.

“Want me to tell you where right?”

That little dig made him smile too, even though he did it lightly, trying no to show she struck a chord.

“No need for it because it’s a fact,” he shrugged.

She enlarged her smile.

“You are vain.”

“It’s normal to be proud of your own merits. My fighting technique is the best of the Galaxy.”

“Yeah? How nice. But it wasn’t much helpful with me.”

 _So she is feeling like paying, huh?_ , Kylo thought. Well, then he wasn’t about to stay behind.

“ _That time_ the situation was different.”

“Why? Because you were hurt?”

“No, because _you_ were my rival.”

Kylo knew those words hit the right spot when Rey’s expression altered, barely for a split of second, and enjoyed the sense of triumph.

But her answer surprised him even more: “Excuses. I defeated you because I’m better than you. And I’m going to prove it.”

She switched on her laser-staff, and with a wicked smile on her lips stood in combat position, welcoming him to join her.

“Are you sure about that?” inquired him, although he really wanted it so badly.

“I’ll beat you up again.”

“We’ll see.” And he drew his own laser blade.

The two weapons met with the first direct hit, which spread sparks and crackling from the two light beams. Even though there was wildness in their eyes, the bending of their lips showed how much fun the situation was for both of them.

“Lift your arm more” he said, without ceasing to protect himself.

“Don’t be smug with me!”

“And bend more your knee.”

She pushed him with her staff and turned it on herself to attack him from the other side. She received Kylo’s counter attack, which disarmed her, and then he surrounded her to put the red lightsaber next to her cheek from behind, showing the checkmate.

“You are leaving a gap. Focus.”

“You through your weight around, Knight,” she answered, picking up the staff. “But your charms won’t work on me!”

They trade some more blows and met again face to face, with their weapons standing crossed between them. Sweat trickled down their foreheads and nose, and their eyes, fierce and excited, could no longer look away from each other.

Then Rey kneeled and kicked his legs to make him fall. That caught him off guard, and even though he could have readdressed the fall to get back on his feet quickly, he just stood lying on the cobblestoned ground.

“You win.”

“Don’t give yourself airs. I know you let me win,” she said, switching off her staff and crossing her arms. Almost immediately she offered her own hand to help him up. “Wanna know something? It has been really fun to train with you, _master_ , but don’t let this go to your head.”

“Likewise, _young padawan_.”

After that, they prepared to go back to the Villa, because the sun was going down and it was already time to start thinking about food and also about that shower Kylo has deferred.

But then she stopped him.

“Ben…,” she started. “About yesterday… It wasn’t a mistake, was it?”

He turned around to face her. Determination Rey showed during the fight had cracked and a more vulnerable girl was waiting for some warmth in front of him. Almost pleading for it.

“No, it wasn’t,” he said. “Any of it.” And he hugged her, imagining that was what she needed, and also because he loved the feeling of having her inside his arms, close to him.

“How’s this supposed to work? How will be bring back balance to the Galaxy? We are all alone facing two armies.”

“We aren’t alone. I bet at least that friend of yours is on our side.”

“What friend?”

“Finn.”

“Oh, yes. That’s right. And Rose too. Even Chewbacca.”

Remembering the Wookie made her jump and she took Kylo away searching for his gaze.

“That’s it! Chewie! He’s training a new fleet of pilots in Chandrillia! If we tell him the situation, I’m sure he will flock to our cause!”

“Are you sure? Because I have my doubts.”

Rey smiled comfortingly to him.

“Chewie appreciates you, despite what happened.”

“How do you know? He told you?”

“No, he didn’t. But there’s no need. I know.”

He didn’t answer. He wasn’t sure about that, but he wanted to cling to Rey’s belief and make it his, too.

“Moreover…,” Rey added. “What about the First Order? Do you think somebody inside the organization will help us?”

“Not among the high commands, at least. They are too attached to Hux.”

“You Knights?”

“I only trust Yang Sook.”

Rey scowled.

“I don’t like Yang Soo. I know she appreciates you, given that the way she talked to me in Chandrillia. But I don’t entrust her methods. There’s something about her that isn’t to be trusted.”

“She would be a great ally, Rey. She knew about my true intentions from the beginning and she stayed by my side even then. She’d join us without hesitation.”

“Well, then. Let’s go find her.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“If you trust her, I’m ready to give her a chance. I know she’s strong in the Force and we need creatures like this with us, if we want to achieve our objective. Right now, the most important thing is to find the way to stop this war and free the Galaxy. And anyone who helps us with it will be welcome.”


	30. Bond

# 30\. Bond

 

After an in-depth evaluation, it turned out that the Millennium Falcon was in worse state than Rey had expected.

She started with repair works that very afternoon, and the morning after, as soon as sun rose again, she returned to task. She had to be quick if she wanted the process not to drag on. Time was running out for them to stop Poe and Hux from turning the Galaxy into ashes. 

Kylo, for its part, was avoiding the hangar. Rey knew that the vessel which had belonged to his father stirred up mixed feelings inside of him. It was clear that the Knight couldn’t wipe out what happened in his life in the last years; nor what happened in his whole family history. And that was something Rey understood; therefore, she preferred to give him space.

“I’m afraid we will have to stop by to buy some replacement parts,” Rey told to BB-8, who was helping her with reparations. “The hyper-drive is damaged. And even though I’ve done a fix-up, it won’t last long. How’s your stuff going?”

The droid answered the question, telling her he was almost done with the cockpit’s circuitry. Damages weren’t as bad as in the other parts of the ship, but fixing them took so much time because it was a painstaking and delicate work.

“Thanks for you hard work, BB-8. You are a big help.”

The droid turned his half-circle head aside and moved back and forward with his rounded body, as if the compliment made him nervous. The girl laughed while taking a pair of tools from the box in the cockpit, before she returned to the engine room to finish what she had started.

However, she was surprised to find Kylo there when she arrived.

“What brings you here?” she welcomed.

“Nothing in particular. I thought it would be good if I took a look. You’ve been working very hard.”

“Won’t say no.”

“I see that we’ll have to change the hyper-drive.”

“I’m afraid so. I fixed it up, but it won’t last more than two jumps to hyperspace. I’ve been thinking: in our way to meet Yang Sook we can stop by the Resistance base.”

He didn’t answer but Rey sensed that he didn’t like the proposal at all.

“I won’t trick you to join them,” she said, funny, kicking softly his shoulder. “They won’t know you are with me. But they could lend us a hand with the replacement parts we need. Because I have no credit, and nor do you.”

“I just have to say you are right.”

“Also, it would be good to talk to Poe. I’m no runaway. What happens is that I don’t like his ways, so I would make it clear I’m making my own way. On the other hand, I want to tell Finn and Rose about our plan. It’s too soon for them to join us, but we need to bring them up to speed.”

“It seems you’ve got everything under control.”

“Of course. I’m a forward-looking girl,” she boasted. And then, after a short hesitation, she changed the tone to ask: “And how about you? How are you doing? I thought you didn’t want to come around here.”

At first, he didn’t say a thing. He knelt and took one of the pieces she had been working on, now laying on a blanket next to the hyper-drive generator, in perfect order. He looked at it for a while and then returned it with the others.

“Do you remember that time, when you asked me about my father, and I told you I didn’t hate him?” he finally answered.

Rey nodded.

“I lied. In fact, I do hate him.”

“But… why?”

“When I was a child, he wasn’t able to sense the darkness inside me, as Luke or Leia did, but when he looked at me he felt something that produced him rejection. It was an instinct reaction. But it made me feel like I was broken.”

Rey clenched her jaw, overwhelmed by the Knight’s words.

“You didn’t have your parents with you,” he continued, “and maybe you can’t understand. Provably you think that affection is enough. But it isn’t. Sometimes, love isn’t enough.”

“You are right: I don’t understand. But if you tell me, maybe I would.”

Kylo looked at her long and hard, before he took the first step.

“Although they didn’t tell me directly, I always knew my parents took me to Luke in the hope that he could do something about the darkness growing inside me. They were convinced that if they didn’t find a solution, the monster ins me would take control. They not even trusted that I would be able to chart my own path and learn to master that power.”

He took a moment before going on.

“I didn’t kill Han because I hated him. Nor because Snoke told me. I did because I thought it was the only way to get rid of those feelings that haunted me wherever I went. If Han Solo disappeared, so would do Ben Solo. And, with him, the pain those memories caused me. However, I was wrong and the opposite happened. Pain became unbearable. Understanding that I wouldn’t be able to tell him about my feelings, to make him see how much the fact that he didn’t trust me hurt me, that broke my soul. The only thing I wanted was him to accept me, to stop being afraid of me. Is that so hard to understand?”

Tears started to fall from Rey’s eyes. She approached to Kylo and hugged him. He gave no sign of sadness, outside from the grin on his face. But she was sure his pain was huge.

“You know what?” she started. “I’m sure Han already knew that. When I was with him in the Falcon… I didn’t understand then, but I do now. Han Solo never meant to turn his back to the Resistance, nor to Leia; but he felt he had failed you. And the same goes for Luke. Both of them realized that they hadn’t trusted you enough and guilty mortify them. To the point both of them run away.”

“And how their guilt helps me now? They were still not trusting me.”

“That’s not true, Ben. Both… No. The three of them gave you all they trust when they came back one last time to you to give you their lives. Your mother too. They knew you’d make good use of that sacrifice and also that you’d find your way, despite everything.”

 

 

After that conversation, Rey asked Kylo to wait for her in the entrance of the house. She tidied up the mess of tools and pieces she left on the engine room and gave instructions to BB-8 about the things he had to finish first. Then, she met with the Knight.

“You need a break and I need one too. So let’s go for a walk.”

“And what about reparations?”

“Just for a bit. BB-8 is working on the cockpit and you’ve seen there isn’t much to do about the hyper-drive generator. This places looks beautiful and I want to enjoy it for a while. Did you see the lake? And the meadow?

“It’s just water and local greenery.”

“Maybe it is for you, but I’ve spend all my life in the sand of Jakku. It’s been only three months since I left my planet, and since then I’ve been fascinated by the diversity of the Galaxy. And I’ve only seen a few places! I don’t get why you don’t find it exciting.”

He didn’t answer and Rey could not say if the observation seemed too silly to him or he just never thought about something like that.

They took a trail starting from the main path which surrounded the place, folowing the lake for a short stretch, and then going deeper in the green plain from the nearby. The sun had reached its peak and began the fall, however they were hours away from dark. And even though some clouds covered the sky in the north, it didn’t look like bad weather would reach them soon enough.

Rey couldn’t take her eyes from the view. It was green, like the one in Takodana, but it was a different green. She was amazed by the amount of tones of the same colour that existed, and the urge of knowing them all grew inside her. She had been curious about discovering new places since she could remember, its people, its ways, its landscapes. And now she had the chance to finally do it, a sparkling emotion spread inside her.

She left the path to run thought the field. She rolled around on the grass, like a wild animal, and then turned to look at the flowers growing there. When she raised her eyes, she found Kylo looking at her.

“Did you see this flower? Its petals seem made by crystal. I’ve never seen something like that.”

He smiled and sat on the grass, next to her.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. It’s just I like this side of you.”

Rey didn’t know how to act and if his word could be taken as a mockery.

“Which side?”

“Getting so excited about things.”

“You don’t think that’s exciting to discover new things?”

“I’m not really sure. It’s been a while since I’ve discovered something new. Or maybe I just stopped being interested by that sort of things long ago.”

“Well then, you better get interested again,” she said, taking one of those flowers and putting it in his hand. “Because this is the Galaxy you are fighting for.”

Rey laid down on the grass, with her arms crossed behind her head. She let herself to be captured by the fragrance of blue and green that filled the place. She could feel the Force surrounding her too, embracing the planet. Yes, that was the Galaxy both of them wanted to protect. Why did nobody else realize that?

Kylo’s question took her out guard when daydreaming became so deep that, if it hadn’t been for his words, she would have fall asleep right there, cradled by the placidity of the place: “What changed your mind? Why did you decide that I was trustworthy again?”

She opened her eyes and looked at him from below for a while, meditating. Then, she sat up and embraced her legs.

“Truth is I’ve had confidence in you since… since the vision we shared in Ahch-To. But then, after what happened in the Throne Room, I realized that you weren’t ready to accept the change. And I couldn’t do much more about it. I wasn’t in my hands to decide about your future. It was your choice. But then, what happened to your mother changed you somehow, and I saw the moment had come.”

“Since the moment we saw each other futures, huh? Don’t you think Snoke tricked us with that vision, that it was just a lie?

She shook her head.

“No, I’m sure that he did not even know what he was showing to us. He only facilitated the bond, but it evolved by itself. Now I know I jumped the gun in drawing conclusions about what I saw. I myself wasn’t the key that would bring you back with the Resistance, what I saw was only you choosing you own path.”

“I misread what I saw too.”

“No, my parents hurt me and mistreat me. What you said back then was right.”

“I don’t deny it. But you don’t know the circumstances that brought them to do what they did.”

“Are you trying to excuse my parents when you aren’t even able to excuse yours?”, she teased him.

“Maybe I have already started.”

Rey didn’t see that answer coming and remained silent for a while, thinking about it. Then, as if a crazy idea had crossed her mind, she turned to him in a rush.

“Have you ever considered that maybe it wasn’t Snoke the one who bonded us?” And just after, realizing something, she added: “No, of course not. It was us, in fact! Or the Force itself. When you captured me in Takodana and then interrogated me, you got in my head, remember?”

Rey saw agitation crossing the Knights gaze while remembering the event.

“Don’t make that face, Knight. I’m not telling you off.”

“We needed that map,” he tried to justify himself.

“Well, I need a lot of things and I don’t force people to show me their intimate thoughts to get it. But I’m not scolding you about that now. We were on opposite sides, so I suppose that’s the thing with war. What I’m getting at is… Do you realize that we could see each other minds that time?”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“Did you ever feel the same way before, when you read other people’s mind?”

“No, I didn’t. That time was different. I was more like if we were creating…”

“A bond,” both said at the same time.

“Exactly!” she said, excited. “At first, it was unpleasant. You wanted to enter my mind, but, by doing so, your memories entered too; I’m not even sure you were aware about it by then. I didn’t want to know anything about you nor about your feelings, but you were pushing hard and, somehow, a part of your fears and memories ended up mingling with mine. And, after you left, those memories stayed. So, when we met again through the Force, it was like we had done it before. Because, in fact, _we had done it before_.”

He interested looked at her.

“How do you do it?” she wanted to know. “How do you enter in the other people’s mind?”

“You should know it by yourself. You did it with me.”

“But it’s not the same. I did it because you opened the path. I just… let those memories and thoughts become part of mines.”

“Well, you have to concentrate on the other person and sense their ego in the Force. Do you know how to do that?”

“More or less. Luke showed me.”

“When you sense the other you have to focus on feeling their soul as if it was something permeable where you can enter to. This way, your mind can access to the other’s and connect with it.”

“Do you thing we could do it again?”

But before he gave an answer, she decided it was a good time to practise what she had learned. She glanced Kylo once more before closing her eyes, and then focused on the Force.

In there, she could sense Kylo’s presence. It was a feeling she knew quite well. Rey tried to see his shape the way he had told her, as it was a spiral of smoke instead of a solid body. She went deep inside him and mixed with his essence. The sensation reminded what she had experienced in the interrogation room, but now it was completely different.

Scenes similar to the ones she saw the first time they connected their minds returned to her: Kylo’s fear of not being enough ( _not being as Darth Vader_ , what Snoke expected from him); the contained rage he felt against his parents, against Luke; the conviction of being not valid, of being a monster.

But then she also saw something different. She saw herself but from his point of view, something she wasn’t used to. She also saw the pain Kylo suffered for not being able to achieve the objectives he had set out inside the First Order, but also the belief that the path he had choose was the correct one.

There was a whole world in there. Not only memories, but also knowledge, beliefs and feelings.

“Do you see it?” she asked, amazed and curious, not wanting to undo the connection.

“Yes” he answered by her side, sitting in the grass; but also in her mind.

“That’s awesome” she smiled.

“Indeed.”

Catching her off guard, he caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers. She could sense the touch in her skin and the feeling filling Kylo up while doing it, through the connection that bonded them, both at the same time. She shivered twice and jumped.

“Sorry,” he apologized, moving away, physically and mentally. “I should not…”

“No.” She stopped him. “It didn’t bother me. It’s just I didn’t see it coming. Do it again.”

He hesitated, but then obeyed, taking his hand on her face again. And Rey focused on the both sides of the touch, the one on her face, feeling the roughness of his fingers on her skin, and the one on his hand, sensing the softness of her cheek. She had never experienced something like that before. Moved by the urge to feel him closer, she moved forward and kissed him, enjoying the kiss on her lips but also on his through the bond, two tongues, two lips, two different saliva mixing, tangling their essences till it was unclear where one of them ended and the other one began.

When they moved away, she poked his side gently with the elbow, teasing him: “I am not _that_ sexy.”

“Well, _me neither_.”

“And who say I’m thinking _that_?”

She smiled and he did the same. They remained there, sitting side by side, for a long while, enjoying each other’s company. The bond between them was now undone and the only connection was their hands entwined.

Until Rey’s loins roared with hunger and she shrugged.

“It seem it’s almost time for lunch, isn’t it?”


	31. Treason

# 31\. Treason

 

Yang Sook could’nt help her surprise when she received a call from the central, asking for her immediate return to the base, the day after the battle of Naboo.

She packed her stuff and prepared for the trip. She told her new contacts she had received a last-minute commission for an urgent transport and that she would come back as soon as her duties allow it. That way, she left the door open for a possible comeback, in case she had to continue working in Quermia to earn a place in the Resistance. She had made important breakthroughs, and if she had had more time Yang Sook was sure she would have smoothly achieved her goal.

When she arrived to Apoptiona, her concern grew up. An atmosphere of exaltation spread all over the base; she could sense it through her tentacles, feeling the excitement, the confusion and the rage possessing the soldiers. She did not know what had happened and she hadn’t been informed about the reason of her return. The only thing the communication technician told her was that the order came directly from General Hux, and that she had to return immediately.

Truth be told, she hadn’t contacted Kylo to talk about the issue because she though they would meet in the base, anyway; they could find a quiet moment to catch up. But how great was her surprise when she showed up at the operations centre and one of the lieutenants informed her that the General wanted to see her right away. That was unusual, Hux was always busy and a reunion with him could de delayed for hours, even days.

The General met her in his office, a sober room covered in black, placed one floor below Supreme Leader’s rooms. Half a dozen of stromtroopers uniformed and armed guarding the office caught Yang Sook’s eye.

“Sir,” the nautolan woman greeted, and took of her mask to bow slightly. She remained standing in front of the table behind which Hux was sitting comfortably.

“Yang Sook,” he answered with familiarity. “I’m glad you are here. We were waiting for you.”

The Knight sensed the rage coming from the man’s body. There was something wrong and, for a moment Yang Sook wondered if that something had anything to do with her. Could it be that the General had discovered Kylo’s plan?

“Well, here I am, sir. May I ask what it’s all about?”

“Ren had disappeared,” Hux said without preamble.

Shock could not be greater for her. But she didn’t show any reaction to Hux’s words. She stood calm and emotionless, waiting for him to continue talking and telling what he really knew about the matter. Yang Sook needed to know how much she had to worry about.

“He disappeared during the battle of Naboo,” Hux continued. “In fact, he did it just after he got up to his chambers to answer one of your calls.”

Yang Sook nodded: “I remember that call. We talk about my mission in Quermia. I was so close to get into the Resistance, which would have allowed me to find the rebel base and to learn about their plans in detail.”

“And why there is no record of this conversation inside the computer system of the base? The AI which controls it assures that the call was not made.”

Yang Sook did not hesitate when she answered, aware that she had to be a little straightforward with the true if she wanted to get out of the interrogation gracefully: “We had a private communication channel, sir. Our Supreme Leader didn’t trust the safety of the internal reporting.”

Hux burst into laughter.

“Leave aside the euphemisms and say clearly that he didn’t trust me, Yang Sook. Neither you, nor I are too fool to think otherwise.”

She did not answer.

“Well. And what did you talk about during that call? He told you something about him leaving? He intended to go somewhere?”

“No, general. He didn’t say anything. I told him that I had met a rebel girl called Qulaya and I was earning her trust, something that could help me to introduce myself in the rebel forces soon enough. I also told him that it was rumoured around the spaceport and also around the Perlemian Route in general that the rebels were preparing a counterstrike against our attack to Naboo. But he Supreme Leader already knew that because the attack had begun and things weren’t going very well.”

“So that’s it?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“That’s the farthest thought from my mind, General Hux.”

“The Supreme Leader had disappeared during a battle and you’ve nothing further to say?!” Hux snapped, getting up from the chair all wild-eyes and striking the table with a closed fist.

After the excess of rage, he pulled himself together and sat again. He nervously caressed his own chin, before speaking again.

“Yang Sook, this is serious, do you understand? I know Ren left with the Resistance.”

“No, that’s not true. It’s impossible.”

“And how are you so sure? He told you? Did he tell you about his plans?”

“No, he didn’t. But I know him. And I know the First Order is important to him. He wouldn’t join the rebels and leaving this behind.”

Hux laughed as he was possessed. He laughed so hard that, for a moment, Yang Sook though he had gone mad. Though, probably he had been since long ago.

“You are rotten; all the Jedi are. That nonsense about honour and duty made you lost your minds. Lucky me you are the only ones left and I’ll be sure there are no more. But for the moment, I can’t do much about you, so if you are looking for my grace you should demonstrate your loyalty. I set up a meeting with all the Knights of Ren this very afternoon. Needless to say we will be waiting for you. And it’s not a request.”

 

 

The meeting consisted in a monologue from General Hux in which he made clear that he no longer trusted them, and they will only regain his trust if they brought Kylo’s death body to him.

He gave them a three-month period to carry out the mission. The operation was part of a bigger strategy which aimed at prohibiting the use of the Force in the Galaxy on pain of death. Hux wanted to use Ren’s betrayal as a clear proof that the Force had to be eradicated, because those using it were not reliable.

If the Knights of Ren could not find the Supreme Leader after that time, they would be removed from the First Order. And if they insisted on using the Force after the prohibition, they would be sentenced to death.

News were not well received by the group of seven, and when they met again to talk in private, most of them agreed to leave the First Order and follow their own path. They were unwilling to being treated with contempt.

But after much deliberation, Marudd’s view prevailed. The Knight, who was the only one who had been pupil of Snoke before joining the Knights of Ren, told them clearly they had no place to go if they quit the First Order. The convenience of being part of the organization would disappear if they became mercenaries or smugglers. Furthermore, Kylo Ren had betrayed them by letting them down and not even telling his intentions. They could not continue calling him his master and guide. And because of that, they must handle it personally. He deserved to die; the same way Snoke did before him.

The Knights suggested to put the election of the new leader to a vote and Marudd himself was elected, and his plan accepted.

Yang Sook was the only one with her own agenda. However, she didn’t tell her companions. Instead, after the meeting with the Knights and the subsequent appointment with Hux to clarify everything, she went to her room to meditate about what happened.

The nautolan woman needed to find a way to save Kylo. Unlike Hux, she was sure that his master didn’t quit the First Order to join the rebels. They had talked about the issue before and he made clear he never had any such intention. The only thing that could have happened was that, in the end, he had run away with the scavenger girl, though he said he wouldn’t. Yang Sook knew Rey was behind Kylo’s disappearance and if she could prove her guilty she would also prove her master’s innocence.

 

 

A couple of days later, the trip was set. The new Knights’s mission wasn’t much different from the one before, because finding the rebel base also meant to find Kylo Ren, given that he had joined the Resistance. So all of them decided to return to what they had been doing before, waiting for the investigation to bear fruit and find a clue that would take them to him.

However, Yang Sook had her own plan.

That very morning, she delayed her departure, and after her companions left, she quit her ship and returned to the operations centre to ask for an audience with Hux. The General was in the middle of a meeting to discuss commercial strategies, but he immediately cancelled it to meet her; that gave her an idea of how much Hux awaited the reunion.

That time, they didn’t meet in the General’s office, but in the same meeting room he was using at the moment. Hux had dispatched the officials and the admirals, and no one stayed on the room, not even the stormtroopers. The Knight took that as a gesture of trust and guessed that, if now the General was seeing her with that cordiality, it was because he expected her to confess something important to him.

“I was looking forward to meet you again,” the General greeted when she arrived, escorted by a soldier that left right after, closing the door behind them. “Can I offer you a drink?” he pointed to the foods and drinks on the centre of the long table, probably abandoned after the cancelled meeting with the admirals.

“No, thank you General.”

“Well, you don’t mind if take one myself, right?” Hux poured himself a cup of caf, not even waiting for Yang Sook’s answer. “And what goodies do you have, Yang Sook? Because it is clear that this isn’t a courtesy meeting.”

“I don’t know where Kylo Ren is, if that’s what you think that brought me here. Nor I know his plans. And I can assure you he didn’t tell me when he left. But I’m sure about the reason for his departure.”

“He joined the Resistance, isn’t that clear? He was the one who killed our beloved Supreme Leader Snoke, as part as a malevolent plan to destroy the First Order from inside. He’d been passing information to the enemy from the start.”

“I don’t agree with that, sir. Our Supreme Leader Kylo Ren had been fighting earnestly for the First Order. He took part in numerous battles during the rise of our organization, he supervised personally the mission to find the location of Luke Skywalker; mission that was successful, regardless of the circumstances. And did not hesitate to put an end to some loved ones who stood in our way.”

“Is that all you have to say? Because you could’ve saved yourself the trouble.”

“With your permission, I haven’t finished speaking, sir. There is something I didn’t tell you before, something that has a lot to do with what’s happening right now.”

“And what is that?”

“Kylo Ren is in love with that rebel girl, Rey from Jakku.”

“What?”

“She’s the one who manipulated him to leave the First Order. He didn’t want to leave his duties as a Supreme Leader, but she coerced him to act according to her own interests and also the rebel’s. She is a very skilled Force user, even more than Ren himself, and because of that I know she must have used some of her mind control abilities to trick him. She resisted when our leader tried to get the map of Luke Skywalker’s location out of her mind, which shows that she’s able to dominate him.”

Hux hesitated for a while. He frowned and thought carefully about the nautolan woman’s words.

“Then, of what use can a leader unable to resist the power of a girl be to us?”

“You are wrong, General. It’s not that he can’t, but that no one can. Kylo Ren is the most powerful Jedi alive in the Galaxy… after the girl. And because of that, we need to get rid of her. If we do that, if you execute her in an exemplary manner to demonstrate that the power of the Force in the wrong hands can cause a great destruction, we will bring our Supreme Leader back. And also, we will demonstrate that there is no place for the rogue Jedi on your new order.”

“I like the way you think, Yang Sook. Yeah, it’s great. So I’ll ignore you’ve been laying to me all this time and I’ll give you a chance. You are right, that little beggar is strong and powerful. How many times did she scape from us? Not to mention that, thanks to her, the nasty rebels are gaining power again. I bet it was her the one who ruined our plans in Naboo. Not even Ren knew about them, but she managed to discover them. And that’s why we must end her.”

“I can handle her. The Supreme Leader trust me, so I can gain his favour and reach them. I’ll bring them both back and when she stops influencing Ren, we will get him back.”

“Yes… I like your plan. We could do a public trial and then sentence her to death. We also should broadcast it all on the HoloNet, of course, to show to the whole Galaxy that her voice is dangerous and she managed to corrupt our Supreme Leader’s mind. And by doing this, we also would stifle those ideas about the resurge of the New Jedi Order.”

Hux left the empty cup on the table and got up to take a couple of laps around the room, thinking. Then, when he came to a conclusion, he turned back to Yang Sook once more.

“Find them,” he ordered. “And bring them back to me.”

The nautolan woman nodded: “As you wish, General. It will be a pleasure.”

 

 

Yang Sook knew Kylo kept a beacon somewhere in his chambers, which connected him to the scavenger girl. Took her a little while to find it, but she finally did. It was hidden inside a secret panel in a small music box he had in his office.

Provably Hux didn’t meticulously inspect the place after Kylo disappeared, because if he had, he would had found the beacon. Even the secret communicator the Supreme Leader used to contact the Knights of Ren was just left in a drawer, in plain sight. It didn’t matter. In all cases, it was lucky that no one had found the device before, because now it would be easy for the Knight to find the location of her master.

And by finding him he would also find Rey of Jakku. That was the only way to save him.


	32. A new path

# 32\. A new path

 

 

Even though a few days had passed, Finn couldn’t get the conversation he and Poe had when they arrived to Arado, after the battle of Naboo, out of his head.

“What do you mean, she left?” the stunned General asked, after Finn told him the news about Rey.

“I don’t know, man. She said she had a plan.”

“A plan? And why the hell she can’t count on us to pull it off? I’m sure she’s gone with that bastard of Kylo Ren. She’s been acting strange since Crait, but things just got worse. I can’t believe she even asked us to trust him! It is clear to me that his only goal was to take advantage of her!”

Poe was cursing and saying the most terrible things for a while, under the watchful eye of Finn. And so it had continued ever since.

But things went worst the afternoon before, when one of the new Poe contacts confirmed to them an open secret: The Supreme Leader from the First Order had disappeared and nobody knew where he was.

The new hadn’t been officially confirmed yet. The organization’s high command was doing a huge effort to cover up the incident. But the gossips were everywhere. Rumour has said that Kylo Ren could even had been accused of treason and that the Knights of Ren headed off in search of him to take revenge.

That was the ultimate evidence Poe needed to confirm his suspicion. And, after his meeting with the informant, he went find Finn to talk alone with him and started rambling all that nonsense: “I don’t want to see her around, clear on that? If she even thinks of coming back when I’m not here, kick her out. I don’t know what they’re up to, but if Ren is involved, it can’t be good in any way.”

“Dude, it’s Rey. How can you think so poorly of her! She saved our asses many times! Also, she’s a Jedi!”

“You don’t know her. She could be a spy. She could have been acting since the beginning. Maybe she was only seeking to gain our trust to join the Resistance.”

Finn blinked in confusion. He could not recognise his friend anymore.

“What are you talking about, man? This isn’t you. You are a good guy, not one of those who are suspicious of his friends. You sided with me, remember? A stormtrooper you didn’t know at all.”

“It’s not the same. I can’t trust someone who trusts Kylo Ren. And if you are with her on that, buddy, you are out of this. Understood?”

Finn didn’t respond to the General’s threat. Instead, he got up from the box where he was sitting and prepared to leave.

“You’ll realize how wrong you are sooner or later,” he told Poe, before leaving. “And I’m not going anywhere. But I also won’t quit talking to my friend because you tell me so. She hadn’t done anything wrong.”

And then he left, leaving the other man in the middle of the word.

Finn wasn’t sure if the words he had told to his friend and superior had made a difference. But at least Poe hadn’t spoken ill of Rey with the rest of the direction; not even with Kaydel. He just told them the Jedi girl left because she had personal issues to clarify and he didn’t know when she would come back. He was visibly upset but showed no anger, at least.

That gave Finn room for manoeuvre. He was also worried about Rey, but had to recognize that during a short period of time his opinion about her was similar to Poe’s. Without going any further, during the mission to Coruscant, he was about to stop talking to her, convinced that she had betrayed them.

But then… Then everything made sense and he understood that Rey had her own way, one he couldn’t understand completely. All he could do for her was to keep trusting on her choices and be by her side when she needed him.

He hoped Poe could do the same, somewhere down the line.

 

 

Poe was back again to one of those never-ending diplomatic missions. Though they won the battle of Naboo, the fleet suffered a major setback and some of the new sponsors had doubts. The war could go long, which meant a large disbursement of money. And they also needed ships and weaponry, and to extend their rebel web across the entire Galaxy. So, to finance the whole thing, new support and partnerships should be developed. And Poe was in charge of it.

The Firs Order seemed to have taken a tactical break -though Poe and Finn knew the truth behind it was that Kylo Ren had disappeared and the organization was trying to restructure. - So, since they had no important mission at hand, the young rebel man stayed at the base during Poe’s absence as the new manager, given that Rey wasn’t there anymore.

Finn hated the job more than anything. Organization has never been his thing. Lucky for him, lieutenant Connix was taking care of everything and he just did the approvals and walked around the base, to talk to the rebels. Kaydel assured to him it was the best thing he could do for the base functioning, because to be seen as a leader by the new recruits gave them confidence. Everybody knew about his history and the way he left the First Order and faced Kylo Ren on the Starkiller Base.

That also meant Finn hadn’t much to do during the day. His new friends were all busy with their own duties, Poe was in that diplomatic mission and Rose was now the leading technician of the base peacekeeping section and was super busy installing those new systems. So Finn just spend his time supervising some tasks, wandering the halls, talking to anyone who was on the dining area for a break or looking distractedly to the communicators, waiting that some news could get him of the routine.

And that’s exactly what happened.

“It looks like we have a landing clearance request, major Finn,” said the blue-skin creature commanding the base communication panel. “Access codes are correct.”

“A request? But there was no landing planned for today, huh?”

“No, Major.”

Finn felt uneasy. But then he had a revelation.

“Open a line with them.”

“Yes, sir.”

Before he could even ask any question, a familiar voice came from the speakers: “Orjja, is that you? It’s me, Rey! I’m on the Falcon, I need to land urgently!”

“Rey?!” Finn said, confirming his own suspicion.

“Finn!”

“Damn stars, I’m so happy to hear your voice! Off course you have permission to land! You don’t know how badly we wanted to see you again!”

 

 

During the time Rey spend in Arado, the past month, she always kept the Falcon far from the main hangar and used the ship as a house. That’s why no one was surprised when, now that she had come back, the girl did the same and landed half a mile away from the base. But Finn had seen enough those pasts months to know what was happening right away.

The Jedi girl arrived to the main building accompanied by BB-8. Finn, her and the droid made the usual visit to greet Rey’s former students and the rest of the high command still in the base. After the short visit, the three of them returned to the Millennium Falcon taking a walk.

Finn didn’t know if he was ready for the meeting he was about to have inside the ship. But before he could decide, he had already lay a foot inside the main hold and was now facing Kylo Ren himself.

“I can’t say it is a pleasure,” the young rebel said. By the look on his face, it seemed he had swallowed a toad from the Dagobah swamps.

Kylo didn’t answer and Rey rushed to get between the two men, face full of exhaust.

“Don’t start again, you two. We have much to discuss and very little time.”

“Then tell him to apologize to me for what he did” Finn insisted, irritated at Kylo’s presence.

“I won’t apologize to a traitor.”

“Just stop it now, both of you! Finn, he’s not ready to apologize. Ben, do me a favour and putt some effort into it. You are not in the First Order anymore, remember?”

The rebel man clenched his jaw, but ended up limping. His friend was right, they needed to talk.

“Well, yeah, ok. Everything’s fine now. But, why are you here? You’re lucky Poe left on a stupid mission of his. He didn’t even want me to let you to set a foot in the base, Rey. He knows that him,” he pointed Kylo “has left those jerks of the First Orden and thinks he did it to convince you because he has a big, devious plan to take control of the Galaxy.”

“He might not be that wrong, right?” Rey added, looking to Kylo and then to Finn.

“What are you talking about?”

“Truth is we want to organize a front against the First Order, outside of the Resistance. Our intention is to find the Force sensible creatures who want to join us to overthrow Hux and his crew. That way, we will open a new path for Galaxy; one away from Hux’s fascism and Poe’s anything-goes-for-freedom. And we want you to join us.”

“What?”

“Will you join us, Finn?”

“Damn right I’ll join you, Rey. You know I trust you above all. But to him… I have to think about that.”

“Don’t star this again…”

“I don’t star again. But Rey, _he is Kylo Ren_.”

“Finn, I promise you he has changed and he has honest intentions. He’s not using me, I swear.”

“She’s right, I won’t use her,” Kylo added. “In fact, she’s the one using me.”

“This doesn’t make sense,” Finn raised one eyebrow.

“It’s true,” Rey confirmed. “I asked him to join me, just like I’m asking you now. I don’t agree with what Poe is doing. To sacrifice all those lives, as if they were replaceable pieces…, is not right. That’s why I’m searching for another way to end this.”

Finn was shocked, but then he nodded.

“Ok, ok. I understand. But how are you going to do that? In case you hadn’t noticed, we are only three. Four if we count Rose. I can convince her. I think. She loves you, Rey. But after what happened to her sister, I’m not sure she’ll want nothing to do with him… Although he has quit the First Order, right? So I don’t see why we can’t give him a second chance, like you did with me. But, anyway, we’re still only four.”

“Six, if you count Chewbacca and BB-8. Besides, we are heading to meet Yang Sook.”

“What? No. Are you kidding?”

“She’s on our side” Rey said, looking at Kylo.

“That’s right. Yang Sook is loyal to me. She goes where I go,” he ensured.

“I guess… I can believe you,” Finn accepted. “The Knights of Ren were always really weird. But we are still too few to bring the First Order down.”

“We are aware of it. This mission will take time. We need to find the other Force users who want to join us and develop their powers away from the Jedi Order and the Sith. Besides, we need to find a way to end Hux without this implying a war. But we want to know if you would be with us when we the time comes.”

“You can count on me. You’ll always have me by your side, Rey. You know that already. And don’t worry about Poe. I’ll keep him on a short leash. At least I’ll try. Now he’s a bit… nuts. Hut he’ll calm down eventually. Too much in a short time. And also Leia’s death…” Finn stopped halfway, realizing it was a sensitive issue for Kylo Ren and Rey too. But forced himself to speak, because he didn’t want to half-talk. “Leia’s death has transformed him. She was the only one who could keep him in his place. Now, power has gone to his head. He needs to focus again.”

“I wanted to speak with him about my position. The idea was to show him I’m leaving not because I don’t share his ideals, but his methods. It’s a pity he’s not in the base.”

“No, trust me, it’s lucky. Now it’s a bad time to talk to him. I’m pretty sure he’ll take amiss everything you say. Even more if he discovers that Kylo… I mean, Ben is with you. What’s between them is personal, I know. And it’s gonna take him a while to overlook. But I’ll convince him about it. I promise.”

“I trust you, Finn. And now I need a favour to ask. A very important one. The Falcon’s hyper-drive broke during the battle of Naboo and we need to replace it. Do you think we can do it here?”

“Oh. Yeah. I’ll talk to Rose.”

 

 

They agreed to tell Rose about the plan right away, since she was going to help them with the hyper-drive fixing in no time and if she was going to join them she must know as soon as possible. That’s why that very afternoon, Finn paved the way before bringing her to the ship.

The meeting wasn’t as bad as the young rebel man imagined. When they arrived to the vessel, his mate just observed the former Knight of Ren silently for a long time, before she started to speak, calmly.

“You may not know it, but my sister died during the attack your organization released to the former Resistance base. Her name was Paige and she was the only family I had left, because my parents died in the Hays Minor attack. Do you know the name? It was a mining colony the First Order destroyed to test its weapons.

“I know all of us had lost beloved ones on the war. And I also know we all make bad decision sometimes, pulled by circumstances. But we must be responsible for them and bear the consequences.

“As far as I know, you were part of the First Order for six years. Although you didn’t get a lot of blood on your hands, you too carry the weight of the crimes committed during this period on your shoulders. I understand that you want to redeem yourself. But saying it is not enough. You must prove it.

“Anyway, if my friends trust you, so would I.”

And then, Rose smiled, removing the gravity of her face, and offered him a hand.

“I’m Rose Tico, by the way. Nice to meet you, Ben Solo.”

“My pleasure,” answered him, shaking her hand.

A short distance away, Finn and Rey attended silently to the talk.

“Rose sure is amazing” Rey whispered in Finn’s ear.

He only could nod, surprised and amazed in equal parts.

After that, the girls started with the reparations, that went quicker than expected. They found a replacement hyper-drive among the pieces the rebels kept in the warehouse. It wasn’t the exact piece they needed, but could be used after a few modifications. Rose help was great. And also BB-8 lent them a hand -or a pincer-.

Eventually, the Falcon stayed in Arado only for a day and a half, before resume the path to Quermia. Everyone in the base was sad on hearing that Rey was leaving again and asked her to come back soon.

At the Falcon’s front gate, Rey and Finn said good bye.

“Take care, you hear me?” the young man said.

“You too.”

“And be careful with him. I know you trust him. And, yeah, maybe he had change a bit and deserves a chance. But everything that has to do with the First Order… You can’t trust. If they find out, they’ll come for you with all they got. And it’s a lot, believe me. If you see anything off, anything, run away. You can come back, you know. Or get in touch through the intermediaries.”

“I know, Finn. I’ll keep my eyes open.”

“I hope we meet again soon.”

“We’ll do, silly. By the way, we are planning to go see Chewie soon, to tell him about the news. But if you see him before, please do tell him for me. He’ll understand.”

“I will. Don’t worry.”

After those last words, they hugged and Rey waved her hand as she walked through the platform to go back to the ship. Short after, the engines fired up and the young rebel moved away to watch the Falcon take flight and leave the planet’s atmosphere.

He did not entirely understand his friend’s plan. Everything that has happened during the last few months, it was just crazy. Kylo Ren leaving the First Order to join that scavenger girl from Jakku to bring balance to the Galaxy? He wouldn’t have believed it if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes. But he had faith in Rey. And his faith had become so strong that nothing could destroy it. Rey had something inside her that made him think a change was possible. That there was a new way to go that led to a better Galaxy. And he wanted to hold on to that hope.


	33. Shared moments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **WARNING**  
>  This chapter contains **SMUT**. If you don't like this kind of content, you can skip the text after the asterisk.

# 33\. Shared moments

 

Arado just kept falling behind in the eternal night, while Rey flew the Falcon to the hyperspace jump point. The girl had to recognize that saying goodbye again, specially to her best friend, hurt her so much. But the relation they shared was built on those foundations, and farewells were something they had to get used to. In any case, they would meet again sooner or later; and her friends would be there whenever she needed them.

Once the course was set, Rey looked beside her, to the co-pilot seat, where Kylo observed distracted the space surrounding them.

“Do you want to pilot the ship?” she asked, wondering if that was what the knight had in mind.

But he refused: “No, I’m fine.”

“You seem… thoughtful.”

“And so am I. But I wasn’t thinking about the ship. In fact, I was thiking about what that woman said before.”

“Rose? About protecting what you love instead of fighting what you hate?”

“Yes. It’s a naïve thought and it doesn’t make sense. To protect what you love implies to fight what you hate. Poe Dameron, for example. You say that you don’t like his ways, but all he’s doing is to protect the Resistance and the Galaxy.”

“I do not agree. If he really wanted to protect the Resistance, he wouldn’t endanger their member’s life. In his case, hate stands above love. Contempt towards the First Order is the only thing that moves him.”

“But standing by and keeping waiting to the enemies’ move put you at a disadvantage.”

“And what’s wrong about that? Why do we have to always follow an aggressive strategy? I’m not saying that we have to comply, but I’d like to think there are more ways beside the war.”

Kylo stared at her. Rey didn’t know if her words made him think or he just thought she was a fool. Either way, she didn’t insist.

Anyhow, they had reached the jump point that very moment, and the girl activated the hyperspace, focusing and what came next. The reparations on the hyper-drive had been successful and after a slight jolt, the stars’ light ran long beyond the windows until becoming a full-white that swallowed them into the hyperspace tunnel.

  

The trip to Quermia was quiet and fast, barely an hour of sweet silent inside the cockpit. Without wasting time, they got ready for the landing as soon as the planet showed in front of them.

“We should leave the Falcon on a secluded spot,” Kylo suggested. “I’m sure Hux ordered to watch the Yeiera spaceport in case somebody recognizes the Falcon.”

“What about this place?” Rey pointed a wooded area on the holographic map, a few miles away from the city. “There’s a speeder in the hold. We can use it to get to the spaceport.”

“Seems good to me.”

Rey drove the ship to the appointed place, making a detour to avoid being seen. The forest appeared in front of the them, leafy, almost a jungle, and they landed close to the edge, far enough to hide but close enough to get there quickly.

“Now, we have to find a way to not be recognized.” Rey jumped from the pilot’s seat once they landed and lose herself inside the ship to head to the storeroom, followed by Kylo.

Once there, she opened the box where she kept the clothes and stuff, and started to take out some garments and accessories.

“This will do,” she handed him a pair of adjustable googles, perfect to protect from the wind and the sand of arid climate. “And that too.” The second object was a scarf to cover his face. “Maybe we should cut your hair.”

She thought she saw fear in his eyes for a moment, and she smiled.

“It’s all right, Knight. You won’t lose your looks. And I’ll cut mine too, so we will match. Also, I’ll wear this,” she took a green jumpsuit from the box. “I have another one for you, but I think you look great with the clothes you took from Naboo. In fact, anything will do on you as long as it isn’t black,” she teased.

When they had all they needed, they headed to the main hold to prepare.

“Sit down,” Rey ordered, pointing to the round table while she looked for a pair of scissors. She found them in a drawer and got back to Kylo. “Don’t worry, it will grow again eventually.”

“You tell me or yourself?”

Rey laughed.

“I don’t really know. But it will look good, you’ll see.”

“You have any idea how to do this, at least?”

“I used to cut Aiko’s hair back in Jakku.”

“And have you ever consider maybe she left for this very reason?”

Rey loudly hit his shoulder.

“Hey! Don’t overdo it! Or I’ll shave your head.”

He smirked, but didn’t joke again.

Time slowed down, waved by the sound of the scissors. Rey slid a lock of Kylo’s hair through her index and midlle finger each time, adjusting the length before cutting it. By doing so, the hair fell like light feathers, spilling into the floor as it was freshly cut grass. She was absorbed in the task, trying to equalize the haircut, enjoying the touch of the silky locks in her skin.

“Your mother…,” she asked, just finishing up. “Did she use to cut your hair?”

“No. She wasn’t that kind of person. She took me to the saloon or asked to one of her assistants to do it for her.”

“I remember my mother gathering my hair in those bunds, or so I thought. Sometimes, I wonder if it is real memory or I’ve imagined it so many times that I ended up believing it is true. That’s why I kept wearing my hair this way. I was hoping she could recognize me if she ever returned. But it’s no use I keep waiting for her now that I know she won’t come back, is it?”

Rey undid the lower bund and turned it into a ponytail growing from the back of her head. She took it with the left hand and with two snips the ponytail became an orphan handful of hair. She repeated the same action with the middle bund, and then she cut in half the ponytail from the one bund at the top. Freed locks of hair fell all over the floor and her hairstyle became an irregular bowl cut.

Then, she gave the scissors to Kylo and sat down at his feet: “You are going to have to rework the cut, because I can’t.”

“I don’t know how to do it,” he doubted.

“BB-8, can you lend us a hand? I’m sure you have something useful inside that database of yours.”

The droid apologized and assured hairdressing wasn’t among his acquaintances. However, he did a research in the Falcon’s database and found a couple of things that helped the Knight to do his task.

Rey closed her eyes and let him do her hair, as she listened to distant BB-8’s beeps and felt Kylo’s fingers traveling across her hair -and also, occasionally, across the back of her head and her neck, sending shivers down her spine. – When he had already finished, she raised a hand to the bangs covering now her forehead.

She wasn’t used to it.

“How’s your masterwork, Knight?” she asked, fun and curious.

What she didn’t expect, when she turned to look at him in the eye, was finding that gaze full of desire. Before she could even react, he had taken her face between his hands and held it close to his, to kiss her lips.

Rey’s body reacted to the contact, as it was waiting for it. Perhaps it was. Because what had happened in the main hold so far had been warming her gently, in a way that the last kiss set fire on her.

Kylo’s hands were still burning in her hair, like a memento. But they also did on her cheeks, where they were now grasped. The moisture of his mouth against hers made her tremble.

Rey unconsciously jumped to get up, because she was still sitting on the floor, and threw herself onto him, who also was still sitting in the round bench at her back. It was like she almost couldn’t bear the distance between them, suddenly. She hugged him and hung her arms around his neck to push her body against his, feeling her skin burning where they met.

“We have time, right?” she pleaded, getting away just enough to ask that question.

“As long as it takes,” he panted in response, standing up and rising her with him. And their lips devoured each other again, becoming a tornado of tongues, teeth and saliva.

 

#  *******

 

He left her mouth short after, to bring his lips to her neck. Rey gasped and bowed her head to make it easy for him to reach that point, loosing herself into the pleasant sensations the kiss awaked on her. She could sense the man’s hand on the lower part of her back, pulling the shirt up as it went up stroking her skin. The touch of his rough fingertips produced spams on her, that travelled across her body and resonate between her legs.

An intoxicated Rey allowed Kylo to led her to the bunk they shared, and when they got there, also allowed him to lied her on the bed. Kylo took off his shirt in a gesture that filled her with desire, and the girl bit her lower lip as she lean on her elbows to see better.

She jumped when Kylo leaned over her and stuck his hand up under her shirt to pull it up discovering her belly.

He kissed her navel, softly. But he didn’t stop there. He still pulled the shirt higher up and, that time, he discovered her chest. His tongue shared the hand’s journey across the skin and reached one of the breasts. He licked it and closed his lips around the nipple when he found it.

Rey moaned and trembled under the sensations she was feeling.

However, it was nothing compared to the wave of pleasure that surrounded her when the same hand that had undressed her in the upper part, now moved down and lost itself between her tights, to the core of her pleasure, pressing it gently through clothing.

She groaned and raised her hips, looking for a deepest touch.

“For all the stars, Ben!”

Kylo took advantage of that gesture and pulled off her pants and underwear. Then, he walked his tongue -which was still stuck on Rey’s breast, licking and sucking it-, in the opposite direction it had walked originally, to bring it down across the belly to the same point his fingers had been stroking a moment before.

And when Rey felt the humidity between her legs, she arched.

She brought a hand to Kylo’s head. She tangled her fingers in his hair, thinking that it was too short now; she couldn’t get a good grip. However, she didn’t have much time to think about it, because a hand soon joined the caresses of the tongue –that explored every corner and made her shiver with each new movement- going up through her tight from the knee. As soon as that hand reached her pussy, an avid and playful finger dipped into it.

Rey’s moans stop from being something sporadic and achieved a rhythmic cadence. She raised her head to look at Kylo. But when their eyes met and she lost herself into the black of his iris, arousal became unbearable and she had to lay down her head on the pillow again. She brought her free hand to her lips and bit the forefinger, rising more her hips and tangling her other hand deeper in Kylo’s hair, at the same time.

“Yeah… yeahh…” she begged. “Ben… Right there!”

Orgasm exploded somewhere between that tongue and those fingers tracing her. She panted, her heart beating so fast, enjoying the incredible sensation.

And when she caught her breath, she sat up and launched herself to Kylo’s lips. She wanted to return the pleasure to him. That’s why she started a descending path across his chest, her teeth biting all the skin she found on her way down. Until she reached the edge that the pants set.

But she wasn’t by any means stopping there. She unbuttoned the pants and undressed him the same way he had done to her before, pulling of the clothes and the underwear. And, the same way he had done before to her, she traced his skin with her tongue, reaching his cock and taking it into her mouth.

You couldn’t say she had much experience on doing that; she wasn’t sure about her technic, either. But Kylo’s occasional moans suggested she wasn’t doing so bad, after all. Her heart started to beat faster when he put a hand on her hair, and she wondered if he was feeling the same as her when their positions were reversed and she did that same gesture. Rey hoped he would.

And when he finally pulled her back and bent over himself to finish on his own hand, she couldn’t do nothing but observe him, satisfied of being the cause of his pleasure; the very same idea excited her in a way she could never have imagined.

 


End file.
